Life's Lessons
by kthrace09
Summary: The world of Kara Thrace is turned upside down after New Caprica. Will she go back to being Starbuck? Will Sam stay by Kara and help her through it? Or has Leoben finally made her go insane? Goes along with Season 3 but with a few add ins and surprises.
1. Separated

Out of the _A Battlestar Galactica (2006) Fan-fiction Story_**  
**

**Category:** Kara/Anders, a little bit of Kara/Leoben and Kara/Lee, who knows maybe even more

**Spoilers:** Well sort of. Everthing up to Season 3 finale "Eye of Jupiter"

**Summary:** It starts to go along with Season 3 but with a few add ins, take outs and surprises. The world of Kara and Samuel Anders are turned upside down while they rescue, fight, survive another day and love each other for a better future. Chapter 1 starts four months after the Cylon occupation on New Caprica and goes from there.

**Warnings:** Of course there's sex. Come on it's a story about Starbuck. There's minor torture, action, etc.

* * *

Kara Anders looked out the window of her prison apartment. Four months she had been there, captured by Leoben Conoy, one of the twelve Cylon models. Most of her view was of the New Caprica Police building but she could see part of the tent city camps and some of the makeshift pyramid court. A tear rolled down her face as the thought of Sam jumped in her head. _Gods, Sam why did you have to get sick and die on me? Why did you leave me here all alone with this monster? _Right on cue the apartment door opens which makes Kara jump in her skin.

Leoben walks down the stairs. "I'm home honey," he announces as he walks up to her. She reached down in her pocket for the hidden knife. "Kacey is getting better and stronger, recovering as fast as her mother does," he said as he placed his hand on her face.

"She's not mine and don't touch me." She swats his hand away and turned to look out the window. A man was playing on the Pyramid court now, just him no one else. _Someone get me the frak out of here,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

Samuel Anders slammed his Pyramid ball into the makeshift basket taking a small amount of satisfaction in the sound but then he felt the crushing loneliness settle over him once again. There were very few times where he didn't feel Kara's loss. He'd searched all over the tent city for his wife, but he had to be careful. He was a wanted man after all. So far he'd been damn lucky but he was a realist and knew the increased activities of the insurgents, which he was helping lead, eventually things would turn against him. Sighing he grabbed the little ball and slammed it once again into the goal. It was an action of rage and soul consuming anger against the ones that had taken his wife from his arms.

* * *

Kara studied the man on the Pyramid court closely. He was a blur to her and couldn't tell who he was. By the way that he was throwing the ball around, he seemed to be in pain or angry over something. Just like Anders did when he needed to vent. Kara ran her fingers over the tip of the knife in the pocket again. Knowing that it made no difference in her case if she did killed Leoben tonight. He would return again, telling her that she would someday love him back. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

Kara snapped back into reality when Leoben cleared his throat. "What do you want for dinner? I can make your favorite again."

"I'm not hungry," she looked straight at him with her famous Starbuck pissed off glare. "And I will not be having dinner with you." She turned back to the window and wished that she could be out here playing Pyramid with the man or to just feel the cold wind on her face again.

* * *

It wasn't helping this time. Usually Sam could play out here for hours at a time and forget everything. He could work out his frustrations or his anger, but not today. He felt that Kara was close by. Ever since they met over the barrels of rifles on Caprica a year and half ago, he could sense her. They were soul mates but out of his reach. Sam dropped the ball and sank to his knees as the hopelessness threatened to crush him. His chest tightened and he coughed with the remains of his illness. Sure it had been months since he'd shaken the Pneumonia but sometimes the cough returned. "Kara, I miss you," he whispered to himself. "Lords help me find her."

Kara walked away from the window to the outside world. Leoben came up behind her placing his hand around her waist. Rubbing her in ways she knew was wrong but all the fighting she put up in the pass didn't change a thing.

"I'm getting ready to go to bed. It's warm and comfortable but lonely. I would love it if you joined me. You can't fight me forever Kara. You will love me one day just like you loved Anders but much more than him." He squeezed her harder as his hands reached under her shirt, touching her bare flesh, rubbing the scar on her abdomen. "We have a special bond between us. Can't you see?"

"No I can't see it. Get your hands off of me you frakking toaster!" She tried to break free of his grasp but he was so much stronger than her now. There were still bruises on her arms, legs and stomach from the last time she tried to break away from him yesterday. Never thinking they would ever vanish. They would just be there to remind her of the torture Leoben put her through.

Finally Leoben let go of her and walked away still staring at her. This time he did force her to the floor, table, couch or wall to have his way with her like he did in the pass. Kara didn't move or talk, she was frozen in fear. Leoben left the dining room and went into the bedroom closing the door.

Finally she was alone. Walking over to the table, she pulled out a chair and sat in it. Placing her elbows on the table, she sank her head into her hands and began to cry. "Gods Sam, I wish you were still alive." She hated everything about this place. It had Leoben written all over it. Eventually she placed her head on the table and cried even harder. "Sam I need you so much now. More than ever. Please Lords let me know that Leoben told me a lie. I can't take this much more." She sat up and looked at her tattoo on her arm. She had a flashback of Anders tracing it with his finger and smiling at her when he did. She looked across the room and filled up with rage. She grabbed the nearest thing to her and threw it across the room. Screaming with anger and hate as she threw it. "I want out of here!"

* * *

Sam suddenly got good and angry. He couldn't go on like this any longer. He didn't care any more. He couldn't live another minute knowing that Kara was either dead or in Leoben's hands. He was out playing a frakking _game_ instead of trying again to find her. "Kara Anders," he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I will find you!" He didn't realize that tears were running down his face. "I swear by the Lords that I will stop at nothing to get you back!"

* * *

Kara grabbed the last thing that was near her when the bedroom door opened. "What are you doing Kara?!" Leoben demanded. She threw the vase and it passed right in front his face and smashed on the wall.

"I want out of here! It's never going to happen, Leoben. Never! I loathe you! I will never sleep with you or love you. You should get that thing you call a brain checked out," she backed away from him. "Tell me one thing Leoben, if you truly do love me like you say you do. Where's Anders? Huh? Tell me!"

Leoben stood there quiet for a few moments. "Anders is none of your concern anymore, Kara. I told you what happened to him. He's dead. His Pneumonia could not be cured in time."

"Cured? You didn't even try to help him!" She stormed off out of the dining room and sat on the couch, curled in a ball. "Don't you frakking come near me or I will kill you again."

* * *

Anders didn't know how long he sat there in abject misery but he stood shakily when it began to get dark. He's screamed against the fates until his voice was hoarse and aching. He had things to do. He'd find her, he promised himself. Each and every time they rose up against their Cylon oppressors, the closer he came to finding her. Turning, Sam suddenly stared at the tall building that was behind the court. He felt her pull again as he stared at it. "Are you there babe?" He whispered.

"Anders," Tyrol's voice pulled him back to the present.

Sam swiped a hand quickly over his face before facing the Chief. "Right, we good to go?" He asked. With one last look at the building he turned and left the court.

"Yeah we are good to go," Tyrol replied. "You're thinking about her again aren't you?"

"I just have this feeling like she's watching me." Sam said before turning away from the building. "I won't believe she's dead until I see her dead body in my arms."

* * *

Several moments later, Kara got up from the couch and walked over to the window. Checking to see if the man was still playing, she pushed back the blinds and checked. It was hard to see outside, the lights coming from inside her room made a glare. Nightfall was setting.

She saw the man get up from the ground and look straight at her. She felt warm and safe all of a sudden. "Sam? Is that you?" She whispered. Then he turned away when someone came up to him. They stood there and talked for a short while and began to walk away. But the taller man looked back once more at her. She wanted to bang on the window and scream at the top of her lungs to get his attention. _It's not Sam, Starbuck. What are you thinking? You are just giving your hopes up._ "It's not him," she whispered to herself.

* * *

The cold light of determination was in Sam's blue eyes as he set the explosives against the low wall. While he didn't feel right about the suicide bombers, it was a damn waste of good men, but he had no problem in blowing the frakking robots to kingdom come. He placed the detonator in the plastic explosive and primed the switch. He ran for cover and held his breath waiting until the group of Cylons got close to it. Careful not to be seen, he pressed the button. "This is for you Kara." His face was an emotionless mask as the bomb exploded taking every Cylon with it. He then stood, looked dispassionately at the bloody mess and calmly walked away.

* * *

Once again the build shook from an explosion. Kara braced up against the wall to stabilize herself. She could see the Centurions run to the area that was hit. "What the frak? Another suicide bombing?" She whispered to herself. _Guess I'll find out later_. She still was having a hard time with Duck's suicide bombing. She had a feeling that no one but skin jobs and Centurions were attacked. She placed her hand on the window and smiled. It had to be Tyrol and the resistance that did that or so she hoped that it was them if they were still alive.

* * *

Sam was down in their hideout sitting at the table fiddling with a small electronic devise. In the year that they had been here, he'd learned many things about being a freedom fighter. He could slap together a bomb, field strip a weapon in pitch blackness; survive on a few hours of sleep for days on end, and jury rig about anything. They'd made detonators out of clothes pins and cigarettes for frak sake's. He listened to Tigh's orders. The man was going insane. Sam understood it but it didn't mean he liked that the man was leading them. Anders got up and began to pace the small confines of the room. There had to be something that he could do. Things were going from bad to worse and with Galactica supposedly on the way, they needed every possible person alive.

Sam turned to face Tigh. "Colonel, I understand your desire to kill every last frakking skin job out there; I feel it in every fiber of my being. But we can accomplish the same result by planting explosives rather than sending people that we'll need once we're back with the fleet to kill themselves! We need… I want my wife back!" Apparently Tigh wasn't impressed by Sam's words for the older man glared at him with his remaining eye and walked out of the room.

* * *

Kara paced the living room of her prison. Leoben had left her alone to go and check on Kacey in the hospital area of the detention center to see if she could come home. "Come on Starbuck. You got yourself out of that hospital on Caprica. How are you going to do it this time?" She ran her fingers through her hair as her out of the box thinking came to her. "How does Leoben get in and out?"

She looked at the stair case and ran up them, pulling the door open and she yanking on the cell bars. Studying the bars closely there was no lock or key pad. She walked back down the stairs into the living room. "I got it." Kara started searching through the apartment for any electronic device she could turn into a computer and send out a signal to anyone anywhere, that's if the Cylons weren't jamming it. She sent out several messages, one in particular that only one man would know what in the world she was talking about.

* * *

Sam couldn't get her out of his head. _Why was today so much worse than the other days? _He sat at the computer even though it'd be hours yet before the scheduled check in from Galactica. Suddenly there was a blip on the screen. He didn't know what Colonial codes were but this wasn't from Galactica. Then words flashed across the screen. _'You can't shoot, you can't pass and you sure as hell can't take a point.' _

"Kara," Sam whispered.

He replied, _'Everyone's a critic.'_ and he hit send. "Tell me where you are baby."

* * *

"He's alive! I knew it!" Kara said as she got his reply back and smiled. _'I'm in the detention center I think.'_ She had only been outside her prison apartment once. _'I can hear the screams from people being tortured. If I look out my window I see the NCP building, some of the camp and half of the pyramid court. Hurry! Leoben just got back and should be almost asleep by now."' _Kara got up and grabbed her jacket and boots. She walked over the window and waited to see if she could see him.

* * *

**Please review I want to see what you think about my story so far.**


	2. Determination and promises

_"Let's figure out where we are, Karl." Kara commented as her rescue team walked throught the forest of Caprica trying to find Samuel Anders and the resistance._

_"Resistance base camp. We're still another click ahead." Helo replied._

_"Movement. 11:00." Boomer spotted as the rescue team got down and covered themselves. In the distance there's a lot of movement._

_"Friendlies?" Kara asked not knowing who it might be out there._

_Helo thought of the first thing that came to his mind, asking who it was. "You got a Samuel T. Anders there?"_

_"Is there a Kara Thrace there?" A woman's voice shouted back followed shortly by a man's._

_"If there is, you tell her she took her good, sweet time getting here." Anders voice echoed through the trees. Kara smiled when she heard his voice. The rescue team and the resistance group meet up and greet one another. Finally Starbuck and Anders hug._

_"What took you so long?" Anders asked as he stared into his lovers eyes_

_"We have marines in raptors. We're gonna get you and your people out of here, okay?" Kara told Sam as she looked around._

_"As good as your word, huh?" Sam smiled down at Kara_

_"Yeah, good as my frakkin' word. What, did you think I was going to leave you here? Now you feel like a big frakkin' idiot, don't you?" She smirked looking up at Sam smiling.

* * *

Nothing was going to stop Sam from getting to her and taking her out of that hell hole. She got him out of his, it was time to return the favor. With determination born of desperation and love, he made his way to the court. __That's why I felt her presence so strongly when I was here_.

He looked up and spotted a figure in one of the windows. He knew in his heart that it was her. He gave her a sign and then sprinted around to the other side of the block. _How to get in, get her out and away all without being caught was the one question that played over and over in his mind._ Then inspiration struck, there was a way in.

He ducked under a small hole in the fence uncaring that the metal ripped the flesh from his arms and legs as he slid under. There was a delivery door just on the other side and a truck sat there as Centurions unloaded supplies. Guards of NCP patrolled the truck, but they were careless and Sam was able to slip inside as they chatted among themselves. He took a set of stairs that lead up to the upper floors where he thought she was being held and came to the landing with the barred entryway. A long blonde haired woman stood leaning up against the wall. Kara had her arms crossed, staring down at the floor. He let out a small cough; she looked up and ran to the barred wall, reaching her hand out to him as her eyes began to water.

* * *

Sam couldn't believe it, he'd found her. He stood for a moment just drinking in the sight of her before he rushed forward and grabbed her outstretched hand. "My Gods Kara! Is it really you?"

Tears were rolling down her face as he grabbed her hand. Her other hand touched his face, making sure that this wasn't a dream. "Yes, Sam it's me. My Gods. Leoben told me that you died, but I didn't believe him." Kara pulled a strand of her hair out of her face and cleared her throat. "There's should be a switch on that side of the hallway. I think that will open this." Kara was jumping up and down with joy inside. Until she heard her name coming from down in the apartment. "Hurry Sam!"

The apartment door opened and Leoben came out. "Kara, what are you …" He looked down the hallway. "Anders!" Rage filled him up and he slammed Kara up against the wall, grabbing her throat and choking her.

Gasping for air, she reached down into her pocket and grabbed her knife and shoved it into his chest. She pushed him on the ground, got on top of him and stabbed him five times, screaming louder with each one. "This time I won't be waiting for you to get back home." Leoben's blood flowed onto the ground, his body died as the cell door unlocked.

Sam had seen some horrific things in the last year and a half but he never thought that he'd see his beloved Kara do something like this. Sam knew that Leoben had been somehow torturing her, holding her here against her will, and that he was only a machine, but to see the blood, red blood flowing out of the wounds his wife inflicted made him ache all the more for her. Yes in the back of his head he knew that she'd probably done this and more in the line of duty, just as he'd done but it didn't make it any easier to see her do it. He opened the cell door and rushed to her side.

"Kara," Sam said placing a hand on her shoulder as she stared down at the dead Cylon. "Let's go. I want to get you somewhere safe," he said pulling her up off the Cylon and into his arms.

Kara took in deep breaths and finally kicked the dead body. Some how this was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. "Where is there a safe place? He'll find me, he's obsessed. He'll never stop looking for me," she said as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

"I'm here baby and I won't let them get you again. You have my word on that. Not while I'm alive," he said as he cupped her face. She looked up into his blue eyes and some how the words were caught in her throat. She missed those eyes so much.

Sam took her by the hand and they ran down the hallway. He was about to turn down the one he came up in. "Wait no!" Kara yelled. Sam snapped his head back. "We can't go down that way." She looked around the hallways; they all looked the same at night time. "This way," she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the east side of the building. "Cylons don't come down here. Leoben took me outside once going this way." She shivered as she thought of Leoben. "Did you bring a gun?"

He pulled out a gun and handed it to her. "I brought two," he gave her a ghost of a smile. He couldn't take his eyes off her. When she pulled them down a different way he stopped for a moment and pulled her into his arms. His mouth found her in a desperate kiss. "I know where to hide you if we can just get out of here." They managed to get outside with only a few heart stopping moments and a few skin jobs biting the dust.

* * *

Sam took Kara to their hiding place by the most indirect route he knew of. They were both filthy, sweating from exertion and blood splattered, but they were together, and for the moment, safe. "Tell me this isn't a dream," Sam said as he stood in front of her, his hands shaking as he raised them to cup her cheek. "I couldn't survive if I lost you again."

"If this is a dream, please pinch me," she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. _Yup this wasn't a dream, this was her Sam. She was finally free from Leoben._

Kara heard some cough behind her. She grabbed the gun she had tucked earlier in her pants, cocked it and pointed it at a man in the shadow. "Whoa!" The man screamed back. He stepped out of the shadow, it was the Chief. His jaw must have hit the ground when he saw her.

"Chief?... Sorry I... I picked up a nasty habit over the past four months," she lowered her gun and looked up at Anders. "So where are we? What is this place?" Kara looked around and saw pretty much a bare hideout. "I'm surprise the Cylons haven't found this yet and kicked you up one side and down the other." _She wasn't joking either._ She walked around and stopped in front of the computer system. It beeped and it scared the crap out of her. "What the frak?" A message popped up. "Is this for real?"

"It's for real. This is our headquarters and we are very careful about who knows about it. And this," he pointed to the computer, "is how you found me." He smiled for the first time in a very long time. It was a genuine smile that held true joy. "It's also our contact with Galactica. Kara, we're going back. They are coming for us."

"Galactica? Are you frakking kidding me?!" Kara let out a deep sigh of relief. "Thank the Gods. When?" Kara's mind was racing with questions. She looked back at the computer and smiled. She hadn't smiled in four months and it felt good to do it again.

* * *

Kara was safe now. She no longer had to keep her guard up and protect herself from Leoben. Looking up at Anders she grinned. "Was that you on the Pyramid court this afternoon and evening? Please don't tell me that you have been going around blowing up stuff too." She already knew the answers but she wanted to hear them through his lips.

He wasn't proud of some of the things he'd done, but he knew that something had to be done. "I do help pop as many toasters as I can and yes I was out there today. When I'm there, I was able to feel you near to me. Lords, Kara if I'd known you were so close the whole time, I would have come sooner. Babe I'm sorry. You have my word that I'll never let anything like that happen to you again." Sam said his voice breaking with emotion. His hands were cupping her face, blue eyes searching hers.

"Shh... It's okay. I'm here now," she smiled before placing her head on his chest. "I had a feeling that was you out there. But Leoben told me that you died from the pneumonia." She looked up at him shaking her head, her eyes were beginning to water. "I didn't believe him at first but then the months went by and you didn't come and I... I started to believe his lies." She said stumbling on her words as she choked back her tears. A tear rolled down her cheek and she placed her head back down on his chest. "I'm sorry. Gods I'm so sorry Sam." She looked down at the ground, but then Anders placed his hand on her cheek and making her look back up at him.

"Don't Kara, none of this was your fault. There is nothing for you to be sorry for. Tell me, are you okay? He didn't... hurt you... did he?" He asked. He couldn't ask her straight out if she'd been raped by that blasted machine but that was something he needed desperately to know. He'd not love her less but he'd make them all pay even more if he had.

Most of her bruises were covered by her jacket. It was only a matter of time before Sam saw them. "Yes and no. He didn't rape me if that's what you are asking," she wiped the tear rolling down her right cheek away. "I killed him every time he got too close. That place was driving me insane, Sam. He's obsessed with me. I don't want to go back there, please don't ever leave me."

Gently he thumbed away the tears that fell on her face. He leaned in and kissed her gently wanting so much more but knew that she had to gather her wits about her before he went asserting his rights. "We need to get you cleaned up and rested. Sit down and let me take care of you."

Kara let go of Sam and walked over to the couch. Some of the habits she picked up being with Leoben kicked in. She curled up in a ball on the couch, wrapping her arms around her legs as she sat there. Her hands were still stained with Leoben's blood. She would do just about anything to wash her hands clean. Anders brought her over a mug of tea and sat next to her. "Thanks." She still couldn't believe that she was finally out of Leoben's grasp and back with her husband. "You said only a few people know of this place. So far I've seen you and the Chief. Who else?"

"Colonel Tigh," Sam replied sighing. "I don't know if Ellen knows about it." Sam ran his hand through his hair, a habit he'd picked up lately. "Kara, about Tigh. He's losing it. I know this is war. I've been leading a war on the Cylons ever since we were on Caprica, but some things... I can't ignore them any longer. Not after Duck," Sam's voice broke as he thought about his friend.

"I'll talk to Tigh and straighten him out. Leoben told me about Duck and Nora, at least they are together now. What is Ellen doing around here? She can't be trusted Sam," she looked down at her hands trying to rub off the dried blood off of them.

* * *

Sam shook himself and brought over a basin of water and a cloth. He dipped it into the cold water and gently began to wash away the dried blood on her hands. Kara sat there like a vegetable as he cleaned the blood off her hands. "No! Stop." She yanked her hands away from him and tucked them under her arms. He sat there with a blank on his face. Flashes of Leoben returned in her head. "I'm sorry," she pulled her hands back out and let him continue. He looked in her eyes as she bit down on her lower lip.

Sam knew that Kara had been abused, if not sexually then certainly mentally. "Gods Kara, what did he do to you?" he asked, stark pain reflected in his eyes for her confusion and pain. He dried her now clean hands and pushed the basin from him. He knelt between her legs and cupped her tear streaked face in his hands. "Leave Tigh to us okay? You've been through enough for now."

Kara could no longer keep it bottled up in her anymore. She crossed her arms and tears streamed down her face again. "Please don't let him take me again," she looked down at him, "he's evil and cruel. There's something wrong with him, Sam. Every night for the pass four months he would tell me the same thing." She wiped her face with her hand, drying the tears away. "His vision of us together, me holding him in his arms, loving him, embracing him. He would tell me that he was going to bed and would love for me to join him. He's insane. You saw half of what I usually did to him if he got too close. Sometimes I would pretend I was sleep and he would come in my room and sit on the edge of my bed and touch me."

There were very few people that really knew Samuel Anders. He was a rather private person for being a sports star and therefore in the public's eye. But that was before the holocaust, he was still very private but now for other reasons. He couldn't afford to let his emotions out and distract him. But seeing his beautiful wife crying her eyes out, begging for him to forgive her and understand what she'd gone through, he felt the usual facade of calmness evaporate.

Sam gathered her close to him. "Listen to me Kara. You have my word that I'll never ever leave you again. I will protect you from that maniac with my life if I have too. Do you remember what you said back on Caprica? You were willing to kill the both of us if the Cylons attempted to take you back to that farm. Well I want a promise from you now. I want you to promise me that if we are ever separated again that you will use that brilliant military brain of yours to get free again. I will protect you with my last breath Kara, but I need to know that if I fail, you will go on."

Kara looked down into his eyes and nodded. "Yes, I promise." She wiped the tears away from her face and cleared her throat. "Now you have to make a promise that you won't go and get yourself killed. I don't know what I would do if I lost you now. We have been through some hard times Sam. You are my complete equal." She placed her hands on his face, pulling him closer to her. "Promise me," she whispered in his ear.

"I have absolutely no intention of getting killed baby," Sam murmured against her soft hair. "I meant what I said. I will never leave you. I want to grow old with you. I want to see you grow with our children in your belly. I want to feel you against me every night for the rest of our lives. I want it all Kara, I want that dream."

Kara smiled, he knew exactly what to say to put her in a better mood and make her forget about her worries. "I want that too Sam. Once we get off this rock and far away from Leoben, I want it all. I want that house by the lake on Earth. I want you to teach our children everything you know. How to be the best Pyramid player and how to get under my skin. And I will teach them how to...well what I do best." She laughed at the thought.

"You mean how to be the best damn Viper pilot in the universe and how to drive me absolutely insane?" he asked a small smile lighting his features. "I'd like that too. But somehow I can't picture us in an idyllic place like that. You're military. Can you be happy living quietly on Earth? Flying is in your blood just as it's in mine to be a Pyramid player. Can we really have that dream? I want it so much Kara, but can we really settle down to a normal life?"

"What is a normal life now? We aren't normal people anymore, Sam. You were a resistance leader that survived a nuclear holocaust on Caprica and I'm an ex Viper pilot that is somehow special to the Cylons." Kara stroked his dark hair. "I gave up the military to be with you. Remember?" Kara rubbed her neck, her I.D. tags where no longer around her neck. "I could go back into Pyramid with you. Husband and wife, side by side in the game." She cracked a smile and laughed. "Kicking your ass on the court," she laced her finger in his.

"You wish!" Sam flasher her the grin of the man she met almost two years before. "With your knee? 'Oh Sam, careful my poor knee'." He said in a bad imitation of Kara's voice just as he had once before.

"You are right on the edge, Anders. Careful you don't fall off. You don't mess with the great Starbuck." She smiled and leaned down and kissed him. Somehow she forgot that she was hiding for her life in a hideout in the middle of city. _How does he do it?_


	3. Don't want to be alone

Moments passed during the silence of the two lovers, all was quiet down in the hideout. All that could be heard was their breathing as they held onto each other. The computer behind them beeped. Kara almost jumped out of her skin again. _Zeus was calling. _"Easy sweetheart, its contact time with the Raptor. See?" Sam pointed to the screen. He took hold of her hand and led her the short distance to where the computer sat on the desk. "I have to notify Tyrol . I'll be right back. Five minutes at the least. Are you going to be okay?" His eyes searched hers.

"Don't leave me Sam," she pleaded.

"I swear Kara, I'm only going to be five minutes. I don't know all the pass codes, no one knows everything. We've set it up this way for a reason. Trust me."

Kara backed up against the wall. "I trust you, yeah, sure, I guess I'll be alright. It's only five minutes. You said no one knows of this place but you, Chief, and Tigh right?" Kara was scared out of her mind. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Uhm... Can I have a gun?" She looked up at him. In the back of her mind she didn't want him to leave her alone. "Just in case," she was shaking in fear. "Just hurry back. Okay?"

He couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her when she was so obviously terrified. Sam held out his hand. "Come on, we'll go together."

"Really? How far do we have to walk out there?" She took his hand and they walked out onto the street. She wrapped her jacket around her tighter, she still wasn't used to the cold weather. The apartment was heated and today was her first day outside in awhile. "Lead the way," she wrapped her arm around his tightly as if she were to let go someone would take her away from him.

"Not far, just to the end of this row of tents. Walk casual babe. Here," he paused and pulled off his jacket to put around her shivering body and then a stocking hat to cover her blonde hair. He was more used to the weather than she was, but still the cold air struck his bare arms. "Relax. Remember, I won't let anything happen to you." He put his arm around her slim waist drawing her close against him and the pair walked to the end tent.

"I know you won't let anything happen to me. I can do casual." She smiled up at him as they walked up to a dog.

Sam paused in front of the dog. "Hey Jake, how ya doin'?" He asked as he tipped the dog's bowl at an angle in the dirt. He fed the dog a treat before patting its head again and continuing his casual stroll with Kara.

"Honestly I feel like a thug," she laughed silently to herself. She didn't want to bring any attention to them so she went back to being serious. They walked passed the dog and went down to the end of row. Sam let go of Kara and walked in Tyrol's tent. Minutes passed, Kara kept looking around outside, checking all her blind spots until Sam came back out and they went back to the hideout.

* * *

"You did brilliantly," Sam whispered to her as they rounded the last corner. Carefully, they entered and with a last look to make sure they weren't seen, he ducked in. "There. That wasn't terrible was it?" He pulled her in his arms and buried his face in her hair. He hated that she was shaking so badly. "It's okay."

Kara placed her head back on his chest once again. Her body was still shaking from walking outside. She couldn't tell either it was from the cold or being scared that some how Leoben was watching her. "Yeah that wasn't bad at all, I don't know what's gotten into me lately. I'm not like this. This isn't me, Sam." She let go of him so that he could go to work on the computer. "Can I ask a question?"

"Of course babe, what it is?" Sam asked. He needed to make sure that she felt safe, was safe. He looked up from the computer. "Come sit down and ask me anything."

"I... I was wondering, how did you get better? What was the first thing you did after you got better?" Kara was curious. _Did Doc Cottle lie to her about him not having any antibiotics on him? _She was still angry over how Apollo treated her on the phone that day. "I tried to figure out a way to get you better, but Leoben found me first before I could help you."

Sam didn't even truly know how he got better. "I guess Doc Cottle found some drugs or something. I don't know to tell you the truth. He said that I was pretty bad off there for a while; out of my mind with fever but when I woke finally, Cottle was there telling me I was going to be fine." He shrugged and began to feel a bit of tightening in his chest as he did when it got too cold or he was reminded of that time. He got up and sat next to Kara on the couch and embraced her. "No one told me what had happened to you for over a week. I thought... I thought you were dead. They let me believe for months that you were dead!" He said his voice shaking in rage.

"Looks like we were both led to believe that each other were dead." Kara felt Anders arm muscles tighten. Her eyes widen as she looked up at him. She's never seen him so angry before, it scared her a little. "Baby its okay now, I'm not going anywhere. I have you, we are back together and nothing now is going to take me away. You can relax, sweetie." Sam saw Kara's eyes widen but she knew the anger wasn't directed at her. No it was directed at every frakking Cylon that had screwed up their lives.

* * *

She looked away from him, ran her tongue quickly across her teeth and smacked her lips. "Uhm… Why don't you... go and finish your work here so we can go home." Kara let go of him and lean back on the couch.

He sat down at the small table and stared at the screen of the wireless but nothing on the screen registered in his mind for an astonishingly disturbing thought occurred to him. Kara Thrace wouldn't be his wife, the love of his life if it hadn't been for the Cylons. That thought almost made him lose his lunch, as little as it had been. He'd found this amazing woman as the direct result of the attack on their home world. Sam ran both hands through his dark hair and squeezed his eyes closed. He hated the Cylons with every fiber of his being. _Yet they were responsible for her saving my life! Lords what am I to think?_

At first Kara was wide awake, but she had no clue how long this was going to take. After ten minutes of waiting, she closed her eyes and fell asleep on the couch.

Sam got up and began to pace, another habit he'd picked up in the last year. He was deeply in thought when he passed by the couch that Kara had curled up in and fell asleep. His hard features softened. Kneeling by her side, he brushed her long blonde hair off her cheek. "Let's go home," he whispered as he picked her up like she was no more than a child and cradled her against his hard chest.


	4. Kara's Nightmare

Sam was exhausted. Sam hadn't slept well since... well he supposed before he got sick and certainly not since Kara was taken from him. But now that he had her back, he felt much of the tension begin to flow out of his body. At first he had been too jazzed up at finding her and rescuing her to even think, everything happened so fast. Now however as he gazed down at her sound asleep on their bed, he was able to process just what this would mean for them. They were once again together and they would start building a life together again.

Sam wasn't hungry and he didn't have the heart to wake her so he removed her boots and made her as comfortable as he could without waking her, stripped off his clothes and slid into their bed with only his boxers on. He'd be hard pressed not to make love to her as he wanted, but he realized that the moment he pulled her against his chest and laid his head down, he was in no condition to do anything but sleep himself. "I love you Kara," he whispered in her ear before falling alseep.

* * *

Kara woke up in her bed and looked over to Sam's side. He must have gotten up already. The sun's rays were shiny through the window. She tossed the covers off of her and sat up. She felt a little sick to her stomach as she quickly got up. Her bedroom door opens and a little blonde haired girl came running in the room, screaming for her. She didn't look older than four years old. She jumped on the bed next to Kara and hid under the covers, giggling.

Down the hallway Kara heard Sam. The two of them must be playing hide and seek or some sort of game. "Lexie, your mother is not going to save you now," he said as he came in the room.

"I don't know what you are talking about Sam. I haven't seen Lexie since last night." Sam sat on the bed next to Kara and laid on top of Lexie. Kicking and screaming, she got out from under her father and left the room. Kara and Sam both laughed at her as she left.

"How do you feel this morning?" Sam asked just before he kissed her.

"Alright I guess, just feeling a little sick that's all," she kissed him again and stopped when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Sam said. "You and junior just stay here," he rubbed her stomach and got up. Kara looked down at her stomach,s he was pregnant, very pregnant. She looked like she was ready to pop, maybe eight months along. _No wonder I feel sick, Damn._ Sam left the bedroom and walked down the hallway to open the front door.

Gun fire could be heard down the hallway. "What the frak?!" Kara got up from the bed, threw on her robe. She opened her dresser drawer and got her sidearm and walked down to the front door. Sam and Lexie were dead on the floor.

"I told you I would be back for you." She spun around dropping her gun, Leoben was standing in the doorway. He walked up to Kara and grabbed her by the throat and slammed her up against the wall. He was choking the life out of her and the baby...

* * *

Hours later Sam was jerked awake by screams. Screams ripped from Kara's throat. "No!!" Kara woke up screaming in Sam's arms. She'd sprung up in bed, tears running down her face calling out Sam's name. She was breathing hard and sweating, shaking her head trying to get the nightmare out of her head.

"Kara! Baby, it's okay. I'm right here. Shh, it's okay. You're safe and I won't let anyone hurt you again. Shh," he held onto her and soothed her shaking body talking to her as he would a child.

"Sam? Gods it was awful." Kara felt like someone knocked the wind out of her. Catching her breath she brought her knees into her chest and placed her head on top of her knees. She continued to let Sam rub her back. "Gods, its never going to be the same, is it?" Slowly she looked up from her knees and looked into his blue eyes. Her vision was so blurry from the tears, her tears were streaming freely down her face. Sam wiped her tears away from her cheeks and smiled at her. "I'm just one frakking mess aren't I?" She smirked then leaned on him as she rubbed her throat. To her that dream did seem so real. "He's always going to be in my head somehow. And I just can't seem to shake it out," her eyes traveled up to his and she raise her head up to him to kiss him. She was starting to feel better already. Just having Sam around her made all her worries go way.

Sam kissed her for a few sweet moments savoring her taste and reacquainting him with the feel and scents that were hers alone. He'd missed that so terribly much. Sam knew too that she was much too vulnerable. She was terrified from her experiences and even though she said that she wasn't harmed physically, there was no doubt that she was severely traumatized mentally and emotionally. The games that Leoben played with her mind would have broken a lot of other people, and Sam wasn't sure he himself could have kept his belief under the same circumstances.

"Kara, this will end. He's not going to control your mind sweetheart. You have to deny him that or he wins, don't you see? You're strong. Stronger than I am. I'm here to help you in anyway I can baby, but you can't let him gain a foothold in your head." Sam was leaning over her, his face inches from hers. "Kara, do you know the meaning of these tattoos?" He asked tracing his finger around the circle on her arm. "The circle is our love. It's never ending and eternal. The wings," He traced that part without even looking, "symbolizes how we will be able to soar above the adversity in our lives and come together that much stronger. No one can tear us apart, never!"

Kara's heartbeat slows down as Anders touched her skin tracing her tattoo. She missed him so much and she knew that he missed her too. Time was taken from them and they had to get it back somehow. Four months of not seeing each other changed how much they really do care about one another. He didn't play games with her, toy with her, tell her what she would do, and see the future like Leoben did. Sam treated her like a human and not a thing that you throw on the back burner and forget about.

Sam's hand cupped her cheek, and then she placed her hand on top of his. "You're right Sam, you're right. Eventually this all will be in the pass, just a bump in my life that I got over." She ran her fingers through his dark hair down to his neck. "It's just going to take time for me to get back to normal." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her face had dried tears still on her cheeks. She looked like hell but he didn't care what she looked like to him. She was back, and back for good.

Sam saw the tear stains on her pale cheek. Gently he smoothed his calloused hand over her smooth skin and looked deeply into her clear eyes. "Yes, we will get through this. I don't pretend to know what lies in store for us Kara, but I do pray to the gods that whatever the future holds for us, it's that we're in it together." Sam kissed her deeply loving the feel of her melting against him. He gently and reluctantly ended the kiss and tucked her head back down on his shoulder. After a moment Sam asked softly, "Can you tell me what the dream was about? Sometimes it helps it not to return if you voice your fears."

* * *

Her hazel eyes traveled back up to his face. At first she didn't want to tell him but she wasn't going to keep secrets away from him. "Well it started off as a nice little dream but turned into a nightmare quickly," she sighed. "We were on Earth I think, well in a house, our house. I woke up in bed looking for you but you had gotten up already. I start to sit up in the bed and how I did it was weird. I also felt sick to my stomach" Her face crinkled as she talked and she started to talk with her hands. "The bedroom door fly's open and a little blonde haired girl around the age of four comes running in screaming "Mommy" on the top of her lungs and dives into the bed, hiding. Moments later you come in the room saying "Mommy is not going to save you now, Lexie," and sit on the bed next to me playing with her. She gets out and runs down the hallway into the living room. You ask me how I feel and kiss me. The door bell rings and of course I try to get up from the bed, but you tell me to stay put and rub my stomach. I look down and I'm pregnant again. You leave and open the front door and I hear two gun shots. I get up, grab my gun and walk down the hallway and see you and Lexie dead on the floor. I hear a man telling me that I will never escape him or something along that line and it's Leoben with a gun in his hand. He grabs me by the throat and starts choking me. And then...I woke up."

His heart broke for her. In the short amount of time that they had been married, the subject of children hadn't come up. He knew that eventually he'd like to have kids, but now it was too crazy to even think about. Anders wouldn't bring a child into a world where its life would be so uncertain. "It's over sweetheart. It was just a dream. I'm here for you. Feel me Kara," he instructed softly placing her hand over his beating heart. "It was only a dream." He smiled a little in the darkness at the thought of a little blonde haired blue eyed girl that looked like Kara or of a dark haired hazel eyed boy that resembled himself. His arms tightened about her. "Want me to tell you of a dream Kara?" He asked trying to think of anything that would keep her mind off the last few months of her imprisonment.


	5. Sam's story and the NCP

Sitting there in his arms, she slightly ran her fingers over his chest. Though it was the middle of the night, both of them didn't seem to be tired at all. "Sure, I could use a bed time story," looking up at him with a grin on her face. Sam looked so happy and glad to see her smiling so much with what she had been through the past four months.

Sam settled them both down deeper into the mattress. It was their one extravagance. He believed in a good restful night's sleep. "Less than two years ago there was a young man," he scoffed a bit at the young bit for sometimes he felt older than his years, "who met a somewhat beaten up but incredibly beautiful woman who happened to be pointing a semi automatic gun at him," Sam chuckled and kissed her nose, "but he thought that she was incredibly sexy. This young man had one dream at that time. To rid his world of evil doers and get back to playing Pyramid and beating the socks off of the other teams. But something happened to him that day as he stared down the barrel of his own weapon."

"What happened?" Kara asked giggling.

"Well he was intrigued by this woman, as she knew how to fly Vipers, fight like a Marine, swear like a dock worker and kiss like an angel. He fell in love." Sam said smiling. "Well then his love had to leave him behind. Of course he saved her ass from the bad evil doers after she was shot and captured, but he understood why she had to leave. He wanted badly to go with her, but he had people to care for and he couldn't abandon them."

Sam was telling her a story sure, but he was also telling her the things he hadn't been able to say before now. Kara bit down on her lower lip then her grin turned into a huge smile. "Did she come back to rescue his collective ass from the evil doers? I like this story a lot. How good looking was this young man?" She positioned herself closer to his body as she waited for the rest of Sam's view of their story.

"Yes, well she thought he was okay I guess," Sam flushed and was glad that there was very little light in the tent. "So anyway she flew away and he prayed day and night that she would be safe. He didn't think in reality she'd ever find them again for her ship was far away trying to save humanity. But guess what? Months later the young man saw ships land that weren't the ships of the evil doers! His heart soared in his chest that some how some way against all hope that his prayers had been answered. His angel of mercy returned to save him...again."

This time Kara laughed out loud at his silliness as he continued with his story.

"They didn't have white horses to jump down from to embrace, instead it was frakking cold and wet but they did embrace. To add to the insult against romance the evil doers decided that would be a good time to start firing at them."

Kara gasped then giggled some more.

"But they got to safety and by and by his angel took him and the rest of the people to her ship." Sam said as he brought Kara in closer to him.

* * *

The sides of Kara's stomach were hurting so much from laughing so hard. She hadn't laughed like this since she brought Sam back to the Galactica and they were getting drunk in her quarters. Their eyes met and Sam moved a piece of her hair that had fallen in her face.

Kara stopped laughing and laced her fingers with his and held onto his hand. "So this couple, where they happy together? Did they..." Sam broke her train of thought with a kiss. Kara couldn't take it much longer. It had been four long months without Sam. _And here I am scared out of my mind_, she thought. She knew deep down that Sam would never hurt her and fight will every fiber in his being to keep her safe. And she was going to fight right along with him.

"They will always be happy as long as they are together," Sam said a serious tone stealing the levity out of their game. "For you see this young man lost his heart to this angel of mercy. Something that no one else had ever managed to do before. She filled his heart and mind day and night. He dreamt about her even as she was cradled against his body. He craved her touch as he craved food. He yearned for the sound of her voice as a starving man yearns for a bite of bread."

Moving closer to Sam Kara had her entire length of her body was touching his. "I love you Anders. I want you to know that." Kara sank more into the bed and covered herself up with the covers. "Thank you, thank you for not giving up. It means so much to me. I guess we were just meant to be together, rescuing each other."

He kissed her again and gently traced the moist outline of her lips. "If our goal in life was to rescue each other I'll gladly do that. But my fervent wish is to never let you out of my sight."

"I don't think this angel of mercy is going anywhere without her lover, her soul mate by her side." Kara curled up closer to Sam. Even though there was little light coming in through the tent from the heavy raiders flying over, she was able to see his face. "How do you do it?" She kissed his forehead. Kara made the hairs on Sam's neck stand straight up as her hand ran down his back. Their bodies were entwined. "Serious, you make everything seem okay when all of hell is breaking lose in front of us."

It hadn't even been a day since Kara was rescued by Sam from Leoben. These short hours with him seem like a life time. She kissed the end of his nose and hopped out of the bed noticing that she was still in her dirty clothes. "My clothes are still in the same spot, right?" He nodded and she reached down at her trunk and pulled out her sweat pants and sports bra and threw them on. Hopping back into bed she fell back onto her pillow and snuggled up close to Sam. He rubbed her arm and his touch started to make her sleepy. The sun would be rising in a few hours and she wanted to get a good night sleep for once. She was sure that Sam had been sleeping just as bad as she did. Sam held her spooned against his muscular body and felt the tension begin to drain out of her. Her head rested in the hollow of his shoulder, her lovely white blonde hair fanned out over his arm.

"Kara?"

"Hmm?" She mumbled as she opened her eyes.

"I missed you."

"I…" she yawned, "I missed you too."

In the matter of minutes Kara fell asleep in his arms, his warm body against hers. When he heard her even breathing he knew that finally she'd fallen asleep again and he prayed to the gods that she wouldn't have any other frightening dreams. It was one way that Sam would be unable to protect her. He couldn't prevent the past months of her imprisonment from haunting her, but he could and would be there for her if those ghosts reared their ugly heads again. Sam sighed and shifted slightly, bringing her slim form tighter against his own. He placed a gently kiss on the back of her neck and followed her into a deep and restful sleep.

* * *

Kara woke up several hours later. Not from any nightmares but from the noises coming from outside. That was the best night sleep she had in months. They were still in a spoon position with his arm draped over her body. It took her eyes awhile to adjust to the lighting. She looked back at Sam, he was sleeping like a baby and she dared not to disturb him. Gods knew what he might do if she did, she hated it when he would wake her up. But he loved her bitchiness in the morning and that's why he always woke her.

Kara slipped carefully out from his arms and got out of the bed. Quickly she grabbed another blanket and wrapped it around her. Walking over to the flap of the tent, she checked what was going on outside with all the noise. The NCP were doing their rounds. "Gods." The thought of humans working for the Cylons made her want to puke. She backed up from the flap and walked over to grab a shirt. Sam stirred just a little as she threw on her shirt over her head.

Sam stirred restlessly when he lost some of the warmth he'd been cuddling up against. He didn't want to wake up but he could hear noise beginning to seep into his consciousness from the outside and he cracked one blue eye. "Kara?" He called out softly in his sleep husky voice that was the norm for him since his bout with pneumonia and he felt the tightening of his chest as a cough built up in his lungs.

"Hey there stranger," she said looking over her shoulder as she pulled her arms through her shirt.

Sam hated the morning ritual of clearing his respiratory system but no matter how he tried to stifle the urge it always got the best of him. "Hey there… beautiful…what's ... going on?" He gasped after the spell was over.

Kara hated the fact that he was still coughing after months of getting over his sickness. She grabbed the bottle of water on the table and walked over to him to sit on the corner of the bed. "Here," she took the cap off the bottle and handed it to him. "Frakking NCP is outside. Day after day I watched them bring in people to the detention center, only half of them came back out. It still makes me want to puke seeing our own race work with the Cylons." Kara ran her fingers through Sam's dark hair, and he started coughing again and with every cough it made it harder for her to breathe. "You okay?"

Sam cleared his throat of the phlegm that continued to clog his airway and nodded. "Yes, welcome to my daily ritual." he coughed once again and took a breath glad to feel the crushing tightness easing. "Doc Cottle said that it's probably going to last a while, perhaps for the rest of my life. But yeah, I'm fine," he got off the bed and glanced out the tent flap. The patrol passed them by at least for the moment. "We can't stay here Kara. I'm surprised they haven't stormed in here taking the both of us. I have to get you out of here."

"Why?" She asked not knowing what went on out here in the city while she was locked away. "Why do we have to hurry quickly out of here? We can hold our own."

_What had he been thinking of last night to bring her back to their tent? _Gods! Everyone knew that they lived there before she was kidnapped, everyone knew that she had been taken and by the Cylons. "Hurry and dress. Gather up everything you can." He tossed his dirty clothing to the side and grabbed some that were at least mostly clean and dressed quickly.

"You didn't answer me Sam!" Kara yelled as she stood in front of him.

"Kara not now, just get a jacket on."

Grabbing a bag, Kara shoved a couple of things inside of it. If she walked out there now, everyone would know that she was back. She threw her long hair back into a ponytail and put on one of her hats to cover most of her hair. "Are we going back to the hideout?" Kara asked, hating the fact that she was going to be in hiding until the Galactica got back. She threw on her black jacket, shortly after that Sam took her bag and grabbed her hand. She thought to herself _Casual, act casual and you will be invisible._

* * *

"Just get her out of here", Sam muttered kicking himself for being so self-centered as to want her back in the home they had made for themselves, but he thought it was odd if the NCP were poking about that they hadn't entered their tent. If Leoben had been downloaded again then he would have known that Sam busted her out, and know where to find them. _Hell, it'd be stupid not to look in such an obvious place._ He would take her back to their underground headquarters but not directly. There were many convoluted ways to get there. "Come on babe and for frak's sake, keep your head down," he instructed sharply.

Placing her hands in her pockets, Kara followed Sam out of the tent. She was still a bit shocked from him being so snappy towards her. "Okay."

Instantly he was sorry for the tone he used and apologized. "Kara, I'm sorry, I'm scared out of my head that you'll be taken again."

"Don't apologize Sam. Let's just get out of here." Wrapping her jacket around her tighter as she left the tent. She followed closely behind him as they made their way back to hideout.

To Kara it was just another prison for her. Once again she couldn't leave or do anything she wanted. Her train of thought was broken as a man approached her. Her heart stopped as Anders was at least thirty feet away from her.

Sam suddenly realized that Kara wasn't behind him. He stopped and turned sharply, blue eyes scanning trying to pick her out of the crowd. He saw her, his long legged stride bring him to her side within moments. Sam straightened to his full height, glaring down the man that had his eye on Kara. He turned and disappeared behind the row of tents. "Damn it," he muttered grabbing her hand.

"Sam?" Kara questioned Sam since he had a worried look on his face.

"It's okay we just have to hurry. Frakking snitches are everywhere," he quickly replied.

"Snitches?" Kara asked hurrying along after her husband's long stride.

"Yeah, they think that the Cylons will reward them for information. They are the Cylon's eyes and ears within the city," he replied in undisguised disgust.


	6. A child named Kacey

The morning was cold and damp, an icy wind blew through the camp, but Kara barely noticed the chill. Her heart pounded so loudly she felt certain that it would burst. Glancing over her shoulder, she glimpsed vague, as figures moved quickly around her. "Just get me out of here, Sam!" She was starting to get nervous. Over the past couple of months, Kara acted in ways that she never has before. She grew soft and afraid so quickly. She needed to get back to the way she was before Leoben kidnapped her. The kick your ass Starbuck that everyone was afraid of. She had to get over this fear somehow. She couldn't tell if the people staring at her were friendlies or frakking NCP. She kept her head down as Sam wrapped his arm around her slim waist, directing her to the hideout.

By the time they reached the entrance of the hideout, it had taken the couple over an hour of twisting and turning, back tracking, ducking and hiding until Sam was certain that they weren't followed. Anders was limping by the time they entered the dimly lit interior. He'd taken a bad step on some slippery unstable ground and rolled his ankle. Still after it had happened, he knew that stopping could possibly mean Kara's recapture. Knowing if that were to happen, he wouldn't be able to get her back.

"Anders! What happened?" Chief Tyrol asked interpreting the looks on their faces correctly.

"I don't know Chief, but the NCP were sniffing around this morning. I didn't think it safe for Starbuck." The chief nodded and returned to his work as Sam pulled his wife into his arms. "Lords sweetheart, you're shaking." He held her tighter.

Kara was starting to relax more and more, knowing that she was safe again. As Sam pulled her into him, all of her fears were starting to melt away. She forced a smile, but he could tell she was still frightened. "I'm fine, Sam. Now I'm fine, I'm just cold that's all." Kara was lying through her teeth and she never did get away with her lies with Sam.

"Kara, you're not good at lying," he stated holding her tighter. He gradually felt her trembling cease. He knew her to well. She wasn't cold at all. She was scared out of her mind. Scared that somehow Leoben is waiting out there to take her back to her prison.

Kara did notice earlier that Sam was walking funny and looked down at his feet. She saw that he wasn't putting any weight on his right foot. It wasn't like him to injury himself like this, being an athlete and all. "Sam what did you do, babe?" She pointed down to his foot and looked him straight into his blue eyes.

When she pulled away and inquired after his foot he brushed away her concern. He felt like an idiot for being so careless however there wasn't much he could do about it at this point. "I just took a bad step is all. It'll be fine and I've dealt with much worse. Remember when we were playing against the Panthers and Williamson came down on my side? I was benched with three broken ribs for two months. This isn't anything." Sam tried to make light of it but it was concerning him that it was throbbing along brilliantly in tempo with his heartbeat.

"Yeah I remember that game alright. Helo and I lost twenty cubits on that game. The C-Buc's best player got injured that game," she looked up at him with an ear-to-ear grin. "Why don't you sit down and let me have a look at that." If Kara knew anything about injuries, she was a pro at detecting and fixing them.

Against Sam's assurances that he was fine, Kara made him sit down. She knelt at his feet and unlaced his boot. He was determined not to let her see that it hurt as badly as it did. He knew that most times in this kind of injury was more of a bother than anything but still he didn't want to worry her any more than she already was. Kara carefully pulled off Sam's boot. His face cringed just a bit but she made it look like she didn't notice. "It doesn't look bad, just a small sprain." Carefully she put his shoe back on and laced it up.

* * *

Kara had spoken little during the time they were in the hideout. Sam could tell she was deeply disturbed by the latest revelation, the NCP searching the camps. As if her whole life hadn't been turned upside down already. Anders could tell just by the way she held herself that she was glad of the excuse to get her mind off of the events of this morning. That she was absolutely terrified by the oddness of the NCP.

Sam was thankful that he'd been able to get her out safely but that she was virtually a prisoner again; that irony wasn't lost on him. He reached down and cupped her chin gently tipping her face up so that their eyes met.

As he grabbed held onto her face, she hesitated to stare at him. Yet again another habit she had picked up. A feeling of overwhelming peace washed over her though, carrying away all her pains, fears, and doubts. She stared upward at him, drinking in every plane and angle of his face. Slowly her hazel eyes met up with his azure blue eyes. Nothing in her past experiences with Sam had prepared her for a moment like this.

"I swear to you Kara that I will die before I let them get a hold of you again. I love you Kara Anders now and forever." He said in his soft slightly husky baritone voice.

She had no idea how to respond. "I know you would do anything and everything to keep me safe. But you made me a promise, remember?" Her chin held high, looking Sam squarely in the eye. "I love you too, Sam." She slowly got to her feet, leaned over and kissed him.

* * *

Something was on her mind and it was chewing Kara up inside, Sam could tell. She starts to get a wrinkle right over her nose when she did. Sam watched the play of emotion across her face. "What is it babe?" He asked, getting a terrible sinking feeling within the pit of his stomach. He felt her press a kiss to his lips and the sense of foreboding rose. She pushed back and walked over to the wall.

Looking back at him, Kara choked on her own words. Her stomach was tossing and turning, she felt like she was going to throw up. She didn't even know how to say it and why she didn't tell him in the first place. She grew nervous as she thought about it but told him bluntly. "Sam...I have something to tell you...and I don't even...I don't even know if you are going to like it." His face went from concerned to blank in two seconds. She wrapped her arms around her stomach as she stood there in front of him, looking away from him as she bit her lip.

Ignoring his foot, Anders stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kara you are my life and my love. You should know that you can tell me anything at any time." He gazed deeply into her expressive eyes seeing the agony of whatever it was she was wrestling with. It scared him but nothing would make him turn from her.

"I..." Kara swallowed hard. "...I have to go back to the apartment."

"What?" Sam snapped back quickly. Just that one word cut Kara like a thousand knifes. "Why?"

"Sam… I have a… daughter back there." She felt Sam yank back from her. She looked him straight in the eyes. "I have to get Kacey and get her out of there."

Sam stumbled back as he stared at her. She was badly shaken he could tell. He closed his eyes as pain knifed through his heart. "A... kid... no Kara, you were never pregnant. You were gone for four months... Gods were you pregnant before...?" Hope flared in his eyes that it was theirs. Not that the timing worked out at all but then he wasn't thinking straight either.

This is it, she blew it. This was the end of the line for them. A tear managed to fall down her cheek. "I knew this was going to happen. Frak! Why now?" She turned away from him, but she was getting the same reaction from Tyrol too. "Gods!" She turned back around.

Sam had all but forgotten Tyrol's presence there. "Can you give us a minute please?" He asked the other man. The Chief nodded, giving the couple one last horrified look before departing out of the hideout.

"Yes Sam, I was never pregnant to start out with. I can't… you know they took one of my ovaries. Doc Cottle said that the chances of me conceiving a baby..." She didn't finish. It was like a knife to her heart that she couldn't give Sam something she knew he wanted. A child, their child.

"Are you telling me that they fertilized one of your eggs and a child was conceived?"

Kara nodded "Only a few things were undamaged when I blew the frak out of that place. My ovary being one of them."

"Who is the father Kara?" He asked dreading the answer.

Kara was trying to buy herself sometime so she didn't have to answer the last question he asked. She let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the ground. "The father…?" She stared Sam straight in the face and swallowed hard. "The father... is Leoben. They took my egg and his genetic material, and made her."

Sam's throat worked but no sound came out. He ran his hands through his hair, aching for her. "Gods baby... how do you know that... this kid is actually yours? How... he could just be screwing more with you." Sam said. He couldn't stand being parted from her another minute. He strode the few steps that separated them and pulled her into his arms.

Kara placed her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat, it was racing. "It's not like when I first saw her, I instantly was attached. At first I knew that I wasn't her mother and had nothing to do with her. I called her an _it_, _thing_ and _that_ at first because that's all she was to me. But then Kacey fell and cracked her head the first hour I was with her, then I became attached to her when she was in the hospital. The possibility of me being her mother came to me, and Leoben might have been telling me the truth for once. Please try to understand this Sam. I'm just as confused as you are."

"I'm sorry, it just shocked me sweetheart. No matter who she is, she is a child and doesn't deserve to be left in the hands of that psycho skin job. Its okay Kara, I do understand okay? What do you want me to do? I'll go back there and get her out if you want. I'll take her somewhere she'll be safe..."

_Why the hell was he feeling as if his heart were being ripped from his chest? _This child whether or not it was a part of his wife could be a point of contention between them. Not that Sam would ever blame a child or something she had no control over. The child was an innocent be she human or Cylon hybrid, still Sam felt as if he were losing Kara all over again and there wasn't anything he could do to stop it.

Kara could see it in his eyes, he was hurting just as much as she was. _Why did I have to bring it up to him? Guess I have been gone from Kacey too long. _"Sam? I want you to know that... I didn't ask for this to happen. I never did, I never wanted it. I just want her safe, either safe with us or safe with someone else. I just want her out of there. I don't want her to break us up. I love you so much." Kara's heart was shredded in pieces as she looked up at him. Her cheeks were stained with tears once again. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

"Listen to me Starbuck. This will never, I repeat, _NEVER_ tear us apart. This is not your fault in the least. Did you ask to be kidnapped? Did you ask him to hold you against your will and subject you to his insane notions? Was there _anything_ you could have done to get away from him?" He asked.

Kara shook her head. "No I didn't."

Sam thumbed away her tears, tears that she'd been shedding far too much for his strong, fly in the face of convention Starbuck. "You know you did everything in your power and there was nothing you could have done different. I love you Kara Anders and we'll get through this just as we'll get through every other bump in our lives. Together."

Suddenly at a loss for words, a moment hung between them, laden with emotions. Kara knew how much she meant to him, how much he wanted to take care of her. For once, it seemed, their enemies were far away. No pressing danger threatened them right now. It was just the two of them, alone together. "Are you sure?" Everything had changed in their lives these past four months, their old lives were gone.

"Kara I'm positive."

"You're right Sam, you're right. I didn't ask for the past four months to happen. And you sure didn't ask for it either." Then she became silent again, Sam leaned forward and kissed her. She responded tentatively for the first few heartbeats, and then accepted his kiss. "So what do we do now?" She entreated huskily as she kissed him again. Her eyes gratefully devoured every inch of his face as he gazed at her in wonder. He pulled her to him with surprising strength. Kara felt a wall crumble inside of her, the wall she had built to keep Leoben out.

* * *

Sam felt a change come over his wife, it was as if she allowed him fully inside once again. He smiled tenderly at her accepting her fierce kiss. He didn't even realize that the slight resistance he'd been getting from her had been directed at him. Of course he was another man trying to direct her life just as her captor had been. Sam loved her, but then Leoben had been constantly telling her the same thing. Sam was hiding her away for her protection as well as for his own selfishness for he wouldn't lose her again. Leoben locked her away for precisely the same reason.

"I just realized something." Sam admitted leading her over to a table and chairs.

"What?" She asked.

"I'm doing the same thing ... _he_ did to you. I don't want you to feel as if you're a prisoner again. I love you. I'm a selfish man Starbuck. I find that I am only half alive without you. But I know that you don't want to be protected all the time. You're a soldier. Whatever happens, I want it to be with you," he confessed. He got that tight feeling in his chest again and resolutely swallowed the accompanying cough.

"Don't say that Sam. Don't you frakking say that. You're not like him at all. Leoben had me as his prisoner for his own pleasure and fun. Sam, you are doing this because you love me and care about me too much." Kara pulled out a chair and motion to Sam to sit down in it, but he didn't. Kara walked over to the weapons cabinet and picked out a couple of sidearms and holster. Sam joined in with her.

"Okay," he said. "Tell me what we need to do to free the little girl. Let's get what we need and go."

Kara laid a restraining hand upon his arm. "No," she said softly. Sam looked at her in confusion. Her eyes avoided his. She hesitated, obviously uncomfortable. "I'm going alone," she insisted.

_What did she mean by that? Earlier she said that we have to get Kacey out of there_, he thought to himself before speaking out loud."Like hell you are! There is no frakking way you are going anywhere near that psycho without me Starbuck!" He informed her. By the look in his deep blue eyes there was nothing short of knocking him out that would prevent him from following her. And if that were to happen there would be hell to pay if she went off on her own.

"Anders." Kara never called him by his last name unless she was beyond angry with him.

Sam stood there shaking his head, his face was slowly turning red. "I mean it Kara! No way are you going to do this alone so you can forget it right now!" He yelled right in her face.

Kara placed her holster around her hips and thigh. She wasn't paying any attention to him lecturing to her. She was about to place her sidearm in her holster when Sam knocked it out of her hands and it fell to the ground. "Sam don't make me do this. Don't think I won't..." She raised her arm about to knock him down and run for it but he blocked her.

Sam grabbed Kara's hand and brought her into him, holding on to her. "Kara!"

"Sam stop it! You can't, I won't let you," she screamed at him. Both of them acting like children fighting over the same toy as they wrestled. Kara finally stopped. "Fine! But we do it my way."

"No, we do this together or so help me, I will tie you to that bed over there and keep you here until Galactica arrives. Don't you see baby? I'm no longer just some fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants Pyramid player. I have you to think about as well as every since human on this frakking planet, including a child named Kacey. So we do this together." He leaned in close and pinned her with his steady gaze. "I want a promise from my wife. I want you to promise me that you will _not_ do anything to compromise yourself if Leoben corners us. No telling him that you'll stay with him to free me."

Kara looked up at him with one of her glares. "I understand Sam. You have changed so much during these past four months, which makes me more proud to be your wife. I promise, only if you promise me something back. Once we get Kacey and get out of there, that you protect her and if..." she sighed heavily. "...if something _did_ go wrong that you and her would keep on going. I will only be a few steps behind if this should happen."

Sam wasn't going to be swayed. He shook his dark head. "Get used to this Starbuck, on the ground I watch your back. Up there," he pointed to the skies, "I differ to you." Then he thought about it for a while before flashing one of his old grins at her. "That is in a Viper. Is there room in one of those things for two?" He gathered her in his arms and forestalled any talking for several long moments. When he broke the kiss, both of them were breathing heavily from want and need of each other. Sam took hold of her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. "I will protect you and Kacey. You have my word as my bond."

"Okay, we'll wait until night fall to go there. Leoben usually goes to bed shortly after ten. But since I'm gone I have no clue now." Sam looked down at her with a huge grin on his face.


	7. Touched

Sex Warning!!!!!!!!

Something was telling Kara that this was going in one of Sam's ears and out the other. "Sam? What are you thingi..." He interrupted her with a kiss. Her passion rose and she surrendered to the moment. Their mouths still lock in a ravenous kiss, she couldn't take it anymore. She peeled off his jacket and tossed it to the ground.

The underground tunnels here extensive and they had made several storage rooms, and places were they set up cots. Sam picked Kara up, wrapping her legs around him as he led them to one of the smaller rooms as they were still kissing. They were assured of privacy by the use of a curtain. The look that passed between husband and wife was one of need and demand. His heart thumped in his chest as he sat Kara on the cot. His hands shook slightly when he reached out to tuck a stand of her hair back behind her ear. He dropped to the floor in between her legs and let his eyes wander over her body. She was just as beautiful and slender as she was the first day he met her.

"I have something," he whispered in the dimly lit room. He rose and rooted about in a footlocker that sat against the wall. He produced a bottle covered with dust and two silver metal cups.

"Where did you get this?" Kara asked.

"I've been saving it for our anniversary, but since things happened..." Sam shrugged handing her the cups while he worked the cork. He poured them both a drink and sighed as the cool smooth liquor slid down his throat. "This is a hell of a lot better than that rotgut the Colonel has."

Kara sniffed the liquor and smiled before she took a slip. "Mmm... Ambrosia my favorite." She finished her cup in one gulp and placed her cup on her lap. "Anything beats what the Colonel has," she smiled, "how should we celebrate?" She turned to look at Sam, he was staring right back at her. She just couldn't keep herself from kissing him any longer. She pulled in him in closer to her. Her cup hit the ground as she got up to sit in his lap. She could feel his warm breath on her face. Her hands explored his chest and arms. "Sam you have no clue how much I missed you. How much I'm glad that you found me and got me out of there. How much I need you." Her body was aching, she wanted him.

Sam pulled her against his body and brought his lips down upon hers with a carefully controlled passion. He was aching for her so badly that if he let loose he'd overwhelm them both and most likely scare her. "Let me show you just how much I missed you my love," he whispered against her throat while his hands traveled down her side to the hem of her shirt. Gently his fingers found warm flesh and slid around to her back, pressing against her spine so that her body molded itself against his.

His lips touched hers and the sensation was electric. He released her to deepen the kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His body reacted immediately to the uninhibited response and he rolled them to their sides in hopes that she wouldn't notice. She noticed though and pulled him closer so that the full length of her body was touching his. She loved him, she had known that since the day they first met on Caprica. There was no Galactica, no frat regs, no grief or guilt – just them. They could not hide from each other any longer. She pulled away from the kiss just then but he didn't let her stay away from him to long.

"I love you, Kara," he said as he touched her cheek.

"I love you more, Sam," she said the words on a whispered breath but he heard them and it was all he needed. He kissed her again with a deep and consuming passion.

* * *

Sam smiled one of his rare smiles, one of the special ones that were only for her. "Let me love you babe," he whispered against her throat. "Let me show you just how much you mean to me, how empty I am without you." Sam's lips found her again, his tongue dancing with hers as fire from her touch spread through him. 

She had no idea how much time had passed. _Seconds, hours, days?_ Grinning like a fool, she looked up at Sam, who was completely on top of her. Kara had to get out of her clothes but was having a hard time doing it. "Show me. Help me." She entreated huskily as she tugged on the zipper of her jacket. She gasped and clutched his shoulders as he kiss her neck. One of his hands still cradled her neck, his thumb softly stroking and she felt her skin prickle with arousal. His other hand pulled on her jacket zipper, unzipping it. Then his hand slipped low to her waist and was curving around the span of her hips. "Don't stop."

Sam showed her exactly how he felt with each touch, each kiss, and each sigh. He removed her clothes one by one with steady hands. Hands that glided over her silky flesh. His lips leaving a trail of fire as he kissed her. She cannot stifle a groan. Convulsively, her legs close against his hips and she feels his arousal pressed against her through the layers of clothing that still separates them. "Kara," he breathed as she reached for his pants, her fingers rubbing against his zipper. "I need you babe."

"I know but not as much as I need you." Meanwhile, Kara's hands are busy at Sam's waist, tugging his pants open and clumsily shoving against the sluggish cloth and impossible zipper.

Sam's voice rises. "Careful!"

Kara growls in frustration, his zipper was like a safe that couldn't be cracked but she finally got it unzipped. Her breath comes out in pants. Her thighs tremble and her hands reach out to hold Sam's waist, then run up and down his lean torso, fingernails raking his flesh as his touch continues to drive her to distraction. She is lost in the sensations curling out from her center, shooting and pulsing throughout her and her hands pull Sam against her.

Kara freed him of his pants just as he pulled off her top and slid his hands down to divest her of her own pants. Sam's breath caught in his throat once again as he saw just how beautiful his wife was. Her hands grabbed at him but he evaded her for a moment. "Let me look at you," he whispered huskily, his deep blue orbs sliding over her bared flesh. "Gods Kara, I didn't think I'd forget just how beautiful you are, but ..." his voice trailed off as she took hold of him in her hot hand.

She was just as impatient for him as he was for her was obvious, but Sam didn't want this interlude to be hurried. He wanted it to last. He leaned over and kissed her deeply as she fondled him relentlessly until he had to tell her to stop before he couldn't control himself. Sam fiddled with her bra straps and slowly took it off. He kissed his way over her breasts, stopping to pay homage to each mound of sensitized skin before moving lower to her stomach. Then he raised his head and flashed her a purely wicked grin. He reached for his cup of Ambrosia and tipped it so the golden liquid spilled onto her chest.

"Sam… " She began, but he put a finger to her lips.

Instead of telling her what he was doing he showed her by licking every last drop of the heady liquor from her body. "I'm not letting you go." His voice muffled against her flesh but she can feel each word resonate in her bones.

Despite herself, Kara smiles. "I'm noticing."

"Gonna do something about it?" His hand stroked her hair as he continues to speak into her body, avoiding her eyes. Kara reaches her hands to capture his face and turn his eyes towards hers.

"Maybe later, but not now." She kissed him again with a deep and consuming passion. She had wanted to make love to him for months and now it was finally happening. Sam lifted away from the kiss and lips moved to her neck as his hands roamed her torso.

"Sammm..." she pleaded, wanting more. He knew what she wanted but he was deliberately denying her. He wanted to savor this moment for as long as possible and enjoyed how turned on she was. He wanted her to cry out his name over and over in ecstasy. Sam brushed his hand down her torso, she gasped and arched against him. He smiled, enjoying her frustrated reactions. It was going to be fun to bring her to the edge again and again. Grabbing his cup once more he poured it on her torso and licked it up.

Sam kept her on the edge for some time longer before she took matters in her own hands. "Anders you're playing dirty," she said taking him in her hot hand and cupping him; making him gasp.

"Kara!" She took control at that point flipping him over onto his back and doing some of the same things he'd done to her.

Kara could not believe what he was doing to her senses. Sam was drowning her in pleasure and he was all she could see. He was all she wanted and more. The barest touch from him had brought her to the brink. As they switched spots it was his turn to lose it. She started off slow, making him wait for it as she kissed him. Her hands drift from his face to his neck and then trace his shoulders. She then rubbed her foot along the inside his thigh and grins as he groans. She feels him press against her. Both of them breathe quickly and she almost can hear their heartbeats in the quiet room. "Now?"

"Kara... you ask the... oddest questions... at the oddest... times!" Sam grunted. She was driving him absolutely frakking wild. Soon he couldn't stand it a moment longer and he flipped her back onto her back. She eagerly wrapped her legs around him, anxious to have him inside her. When he entered her, he was lost. She was tight and wet and he wanted to consume her. He plunged home in one swift smooth thrust while he covered her mouth with his, swallowing her cries of pleasure. Her legs were entwined with his and she was moaning with every thrust.

Kara feels lighter and more powerful as a flood of warmth spirals out from their joined bodies. Trembling, she breathes his name out in a series of desperate exhalations as her climax overtakes her. Sweat-slick, they slide against and with each other. Kara anchors one of her legs around Sam's hips, unwilling to let the sensations lessen as his own climax takes over him. This is all kinds of wrong and all kinds of insane. She knows this even as she drops light kisses against his forehead. They rode passion's wave until it swept them both over the precipice and deposited them gently back into reality. Reluctantly, she drops her leg to let Sam step back and their bodies disengage, but it's only a moment before he's snug against her, pulling her close in a careful embrace.

Still glowing from their wild love making, Sam's hands slowly stroked her arms, his head pillowed against her shoulder, his blue eyes half closed. Making love to her was world-shattering. He had never imagined that they could make such an explosive connection. He could not let her go now. "Have I told you just how much I love you Kara Anders?" He asked lazily shifting to plant a kiss on her arm.

Kara was still catching her breath. She was completely satisfied and felt weak with desire. Sam had possessed her totally. He had touched her soul. No other person had ever done that. "I don't know, I think you might have mention that awhile back," she said sarcastically. She ran her fingers threw his dark sweaty hair as his head laid next to hers. "I love you so much, Samuel Anders," she whispered in his ear and then nibbled on it.

As Sam's breathing slowed, he removed his weight from her and brought them both to their sides, her body cradled against his. Sam trailed kisses along her neck and shoulders in a lazy fashion already half asleep. "I love you Starbuck," Sam said in contented tone.

Kara kissed the end of Sam's nose as he closed his eyes. Stroking his head and rubbing the back of his neck, she watched him as he fell asleep. She wasn't tired one bit. She had too many things on her mind to fall asleep, one of them being Kacey.

* * *

After two hours of watching Sam sleep, she got up from the cot and started to put her clothes back on. All of sudden she heard voices coming from the other side of the thin curtain that separated her and Anders from the hideout. She slipped her underwear and bra on and pulled on the curtain a little to see who was out there.

* * *

"_From what Chief told me, Galactica should be attacking in the matter of hours Madam President. We should inform the group leaders of this so we are more prepared." Colonel Tigh said breaking the silence in the hideout._

"_I agree with the Colonel on this. And the more people off of this planet the better Laura." Tom added in._

"_Did you tell Anders of our plan to get the people out of the Detention Center while Galactica is attacking?" Laura turned and looked at Tigh._

"_I didn't think he wanted to since…"_

"_Since Kara was taken." Laura said sighing as she finished Tigh's sentence. "It might help him."_

"_The man has been a walking zombie the pass four months." Tom said before taking a sip of water from his cup. _

"_I have noticed this too but lately he's done nothing but blow up Cylons left and right trying to find her. Kara can't be dead, she's too strong not to put up a fight." Tigh paused and looked down at the ground with his remaining eye._

"_She put up one hell of a before those Centurions dragged her through the streets unconscious." Tom said._

"_Can you believe Tyrol came up to me telling me that Kara was alive and back yesterday evening? What a sick joke to play on us like that." Tigh said as his grip tightened on his make shifted cane._

"_Really? Tyrol said that Kara was back?" Laura asked, she had heard rumors but didn't believe them. "Then where is she?"_

* * *

Kara had forgotten the voices of Laura Roslin, Tom Zarek and Saul Tigh. She wanted to go out there to tell them that she was alive and was back but decided to stay with Sam. She lied back down on the cot and snuggled up close to him, wrapping her arms around him. _They can wait until later. _

Sam stirred as his wife got back into bed. "Kara?" He asked sleepily before he suddenly heard the voices for himself and his eyes popped instantly open. "What is it?" His body tense and was alert.

"Hey, clam down, its okay. It's nothing," she said quietly and softly. "It's just Laura, Tom and Tigh outside the room." Sam started to sit up in the cot. "Do you know what's going on? I thought you said that only Tigh, Chief, and you knew about this place?" Kara sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest. She rubbed his chest and kissed the back of his neck and shoulders. "You should get dress and see what's going on?"

While he was very tempted to just stay where he was, enjoying being in the arms of his wife, but he was curious. He didn't know that Zarek and Roslin knew the location of their base. It was something that they had been talking about, perhaps something happened. Sam nodded and grabbed for his clothes. "Yeah, I think _we_ should," he said pulling on his pants and handing her clothes as well.

Kara sat here debating on whether to join him or not. _Frak it!_ She got up, threw on her black tank top and green pants. She sat back on the cot and laced up her boots. Some how she felt like she needed to ready herself for some jaw dropping action.

"You ready?" He asked her before giving her one last kiss.

"Ready as I will be I guess." Sam pulled back the curtain and step out before she did. She hesitated for a second and came out of the room.

* * *

"Anders just the person we need to talk to…" Laura said before she paused in shock. 

Everyone fell silent as Kara walked up and stood next to Sam. She wrapped her arm around his and didn't say a word. Three pairs of eyes were glued on Kara. Sam's expression was carefully blank as he came to a stop in front of the group.

"Anders," Laura began to smile. "I see you found your wife."

Sam smiled wrapping an arm around Kara. "Indeed I did Madam President. Well actually she found me. Those messages we got on the computers two days ago that we didn't know where they were coming from. It was Kara sending out transmissions from the Detention Center."

Kara looked up at Sam and smiled at him, but it slowly vanished. She still didn't say a word; she was also not looking at anyone in their eyes. Everyone was asking her questions all at once, some being too personal for her. The more questions, the more she started to feel uncomfortable. She looked up at Sam, but he was to busy answering her questions for her. She thought that this was going to easier than she thought. She was still clinging on to Sam's arm.

Kara needed to get out of here, she felt like she needed to scream. "Sam?" She whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry but could we... go please. I don't feel too comfortable here. What about Kacey?"

"Kacey? Who's Kacey?" Laura asked.

Sam pulled Kara closer to his side aware that she was, to say the least, uncomfortable. Sam sighed and glanced down at Kara his eyes asking if she wanted them all to know about the child or not. "Madam President, it's a matter between my wife and myself at the moment. It'll be up to her to inform you on the matter," he said softly. He didn't know whether or not to say anything about the little girl, but clearly at some point, it would have to come out.

Shaking her head no, Kara walked over to back to the storage area that Sam and her had just came out of and grabbed her holster. She came back out with it around her hips and placed her gun in it. She was also fiddling with a six inch knife. "I'll tell and show you who Kacey is after Sam and I rescue her and bring her home," Kara softly told Laura. Her eyes traveled back up to Sam. She tucked the knife in the back of her pants. "Ready?" Kara didn't care that she had friends surrounding her that haven't seen her in months. Her mind wasn't even in the right place to talk to them. She was focusing on the mission to save her daughter from her insane father.


	8. Exodus back home

Kara waited by the entrance of the hideout as Sam debated with the others when to attack the city. By the sounds of it, Galactica was coming back in a few hours. She couldn't take it anymore and slipped out of the hideout and ran for the Detention center without Sam. "Sorry Sam but I have to do this," she mumbled to herself. She knew that he would be pissed, actually beyond pissed with her. But determination was pushing her to get her daughter out of there.

Kara reached the Detention center and stared up into the window that she always looked out of. Only a few Centurions were patrolling the area near the building. Two NCP officers were on guard and they let her into the building. Either they had no clue who she was or they must have thought she was with them in the NCP. Shaking nervously, she walked up to her prison apartment door and reached for the door handle. But before she could push down on it and open it, Leoben beat her to it.

"Where's Kacey? Give her to me!" She pushed Leoben out of the way and ran down the stairs. Leoben followed and pushed her up against the wall. His body pinned her to the wall and leaned in even closer to her. He ran his hand down her face and his other one, removed her gun from her holster.

"I knew you would be back. I saw it, I've seen it. I knew you couldn't say away from us. I love you Kara Thrace. You're the mother of my child. I want to hear those words, Kara." His face was inches away from hers. Leoben held her face, she couldn't take it anymore.

Pushing him off of her and off the wall, Kara stared him in the eyes. "Fine… you win. It's over." She swallowed hard and sighed. "I love you, Leoben." She leaned in a little closer to him; she hesitated but eventually kissed him. Their kiss lasted longer than she thought it would.

Leoben took a step closer, gently framing her face with his hands, then slammed her hard up against the wall again. His tongue swept into her mouth and took control. She hated to think about it but he just took her breath away. He kissed his way down her neck, finding her pulse point and a primal need took over and he sucked the tender skin into his mouth, gently nipping her with his teeth.

* * *

One minute Kara was by his side and the next she was gone. Sam glanced around thinking she may have just stepped back into their room, but she wasn't there. "I've got to get her," he said to the others as he dashed out knowing where she would have gone. He ran to the Detention center and didn't really care if he was seen or not. Apparently however, things seemed to be going with him this time. He made it in with no one seeing him.

* * *

The building shook and Kara and Leoben both stopped and looked outside. The resistance was attacking, which meant Adama was on his way. With Leoben distracted, she grabbed his throat and began to choke him. But he was stronger than she thought and he pouched her in the face. Her head hit the corner of the table, knocking her out cold on the floor.

* * *

Sam saw that the door to the apartment where Starbuck had been held stood wide open and he heard her voice and then something hitting the floor. He held the rifle ready against his shoulder staring down the barrel. What Anders saw when he gained full entry was Kara lying on the floor with the skin job bastard ripping at her clothing. "I'd stop if I were you," Sam said in a deadly soft tone.

"She's mine Anders. She returned to me and she'll be with me forever. Her and our daughter Kacey." Leoben said holding her knife at her throat.

"You expect me to believe that you'll cut her throat after a declaration like that? You call that love? You're sicker than I thought." Anders scoffed. He was inching closer to Starbuck the weapon trained on the Cylon.

"One more step Anders and I'll kill her! I won't allow you to sully our love."

Sam saw that Kara was beginning to stir. He prayed that he was doing the right thing. "Kara?" He called out. It was enough to distract Leoben. Sam pulled the weapon up in one smooth movement and fired three times dead center in the man's chest throwing him back and away from his wife.

"This isn't the end Anders. Kara will never be safe with you." Leoben cleared his throat as blood was coming out of his mouth. Some how he managed to smile. "I will come for her..." Leoben's body died as his blood flowed down onto the floor.

"Kacey!" Sam called out as he dropped by Kara's side. "It's okay you're safe now," he said softer as he caught a flash of blonde curls. He was cradling Kara's head on his lap as he held out his hand for the toddler. "Its okay sweetheart, it's over now." Frightened by the noise and violence but assured by the kind tone of the man, Kacey ran into Sam's outstretched arms.

A sharp throbbing pain was coming from Kara's head. She probably deserved it for coming out here without Sam. She heard Sam calling out for Kacey and felt him holding her head. When she opened her eyes and saw that Sam was picking up Kacey in his arms. "Sam?" She said in a raspy voice as she tried to get to her feet. She looked down and saw that her clothing was messed with. "What happened?" She saw the dead body of Leoben lying next to her.

"It's over Kara." Sam held out his remaining hand out to Kara to help her get up from the ground.

She accepted Sam's hand. "Kacey? Honey. Mommy was so worried about you."

Kacey placed her head down on Sam's shoulder and laughed.

Kara cleared her throat as she looked up at Sam. "I'm sorry Sam that I left you, but you have to understand why I did it." Kara smiled at Kacey and then up at Sam. The two of them, only together for a short time and Kacey was already bonding with Sam. _This could be a good sign._

Anders wasn't happy with Starbuck, but when holding such a darling little girl he could understand her desire to get back to her and rescue the child. He would have done the same for any child held in the clutches of the Cylons. "Let's get you both out of here. Once we're safe, then I'll take you to task my girl. I swear Starbuck, if you _ever _do anything so completely irresponsible again, I'll have your ass." Sam threatened.

"Well I... never mind. I'm not going to stand here and have a fight with you now. Let's get out of there before the Resistance blows this building up next. You can deal with me later once we are off this frakking rock. Punish me how ever you want, but not now." Kara offered her hands out to Kacey and the little girl leaned out to her. Kara placed her hand over Kacey's head as she ran up of the stairs with her.

Samuel hurried after Starbuck muttering exactly what he was going to do to her when they were back on Galactica. Kara glanced back at her husband with a wicked smile on her lips. "Promises my boy, promises."

Once in the hallway, Marines were blowing up the locked doors, letting out the prisoners. Kara turned to look back at Sam. "Is Galactica back?"

"Get going sweetheart. Sounds like they are cutting loose and I don't relish staying here after the admiral is finished!"

"Yeah, yeah I'm going as fast as I can." The hallways were jammed packed full of people trying to escape. "Where are we going? You know what get in front of me!" Kara demanded. She moved Kacey to her other hip, even though Kacey was a small child her weight was killing her.

* * *

Once outside it was a different story. Some Centurions were still firing at the remaining few people left on New Caprica. "Where's the Raptor?" Kara's hair was flying in her eyes. There were some days she wished that she would have cut it back short, but now was not the time to think about it. Sam grabbed her free hand and pulled her to the back of the building were three Raptors were filling up to take off.

Sam turned when the three of them got to the Raptor and plucked the kid from Kara's arms and pulled her against him. "Get in Starbuck, I love you," he kissed her hard, possessively and lovingly. Then he handed Kacey back to her before turning fire at on coming bullet heads. "Go!" Anders shouted to Kara.

"Sam get in!" She demanded, there was no frakking way she was going to leave him behind. As the hatch was closing, Sam made it into the Raptor just seconds before it locked.

Once they were in mid-air they made the jump, Sam let out a breath he hadn't realized that he was holding. His blue eyes caught hold of Kara's lovely hazel ones. "Are you alright? I mean really okay baby?" He asked concerned. He reached out and took her hand in his. _Vowing never to let go again._

"Yeah, I'm fine now." Kara placed her head on his shoulder and looked down at Kacey. This was not a time to be raising a child up in. Kacey played with Kara's hands and started laughing. "Finally, we are going back home."

* * *

Kara looked out the Raptor window as they started to land on Galactica. There was a lot of damage to the ship and she wondered where the Pegasus was. The Raptor was pulled into the crowded hanger deck. The hatch opened and she and Kacey were the first ones off the Raptor. The Chief helped Kara down from the Raptor and asked who the child was.

Kara was about to answer when another woman answered for her.

"Kacey? Kacey mommy missed you." Kacey leaned out to the woman.

"What?" Kara asked confused on what was going on.

The woman thanked Kara for saving _her_ daughter from the Cylons and walked off.

"Wait..." Kacey and the woman had disappeared into the crowd. Kara looked up towards the Raptor and saw Sam coming down from the Raptor.

Anders saw the woman hurrying off with Kacey in her arms. "Kara?" He asked as she stared after her mouth wide in shock. "Kara," Sam tipped her face up to his. "What is that woman doing with Kacey?" He grew concerned when she didn't answer so he drew her out of the crowd to a place behind the Raptor. "Kara," he said making her look at him. "Where is that woman taking our daughter?"

Kara choked on her own words. It all happened too fast. "The woman came up to me and Kacey leaned out to her, wanting her. I never have seen Kacey act so happy before. The woman thanked me for saving _her_ daughter from the Cylons and walked away with her before I could say anything." Kara felt like someone had just ripped out her heart. "Leoben lied to me. He used Kacey to get to me." A small tear rolled down her cheek, which she tried hard not to cry in front of Sam. "It was all a lie Sam. I let Leoben win again." Kara buried her face into his chest and took a deep breath.

"Oh gods Kara..." Sam said holding her against his chest and feeling her tremble. "I'm so sorry sweetheart." He was surprised at the pain that lanced through his heart at the loss of the child. "I should have expected it. I should have known he'd do anything to bind you to him." He held her close together sharing the pain.

Kara wiped away her tears and looked up at Sam as she still held onto him. "What would I do if you weren't here with me now?" Kara should have known that Leoben would pull a stunt like that on her. _He did in the past, why would he have changed?_ Kara was kicking herself for believing him. "Let's get out of here Sam. I'm in no mood to celebrate now."

"You got it," Sam whispered against her hair. He held onto her tightly as they went against the flow of people that were in the hanger chanting Adama's name in celebration. They were home and it was time to heal now. They both had a lot to overcome but together he knew that they would. They would cry, laugh, shout and scream, but they would make it as long as they had each other. _Samuel Anders would never willingly leave Kara Thrace. Never._ "Come on babe, take me back to your quarters and let me take care of you." Anders touched the swelling bruise on her temple.


	9. United

Warning- Sex scenes in this chapter

* * *

Kara reached out and grabbed Sam's hand as they walked up the stairs to get out of the hanger deck. Looking over the walkway; there must have been a thousand people chanting and praising the Old Man right now. Kara led Sam down the corridors to the senior officer's quarters. She was shocked that she still knew her way around the ship. Of course she did live on _Galactica_ for almost three years. There was no one in sight as they made their way to her old quarters. "Hopefully no one has taken my bunk." They turned down the last corner and came up to the door. Pulling the door open, they saw that it was empty just like the corridors. "Home sweet home, uh?" 

It was just as he remembered it from the last time he was here. It was emptier than before, most of their things were left behind because of necessity, but Sam had managed to pack most of their most important things in three bags he'd given one of his men to stow aboard the ship. It wasn't much however. "Anywhere with you is home my love," he whispered against her hair. "For the moment, I think the both of us could use a nice long hot bath." Sam pulled her back against his chest. "He'll never hurt you babe, never again."

"As long as I have you next to my side, I know he won't." She grabbed hold of his hands in front of her and laced her fingers with his. She leaned heavily against him and listened to his heartbeat loudly against her. "From what we both have gone through, I think we need a vacation from everything." She looked up at him with a grin across her lips. "And for starters, that hot bath you mentioned sounds prefect. I'll meet you there. Do you remember how to get to the showers from here?"

Sam nodded, kissed her, grabbed his bag and left the room. Kara grimaced at the piles of bags on her bunk. She just didn't want to deal with that now. She pushed her long hair off her forehead and grabbed one of the bags. Yanking the hatch open, she walked out and started to head off to join Sam. She shut the shower room hatch behind her and started stripping off her clothes, leaving a trail into the bathroom. Steam was coming from the last stall in the room.

* * *

And there he was, water streaming down his muscular back. _Frak, he was hot!_ The water was bouncing off his very broad muscular shoulders, bulging arms and a chiseled back. When he turned slightly she could see his rock hard abs, and her eyes stared as his body. Despite everything, she had missed him more than ever. She watched him as he stepped back in the water, and lathered shampoo into his hair. She remembered the few times she'd run her fingers through that hair how it had that clean piney sea spray smell of his. 

She brought her mind back to the present as she watched him rinse the shampoo from his hair. Without any thought to what she was doing just standing out there watching him, she opened the door and stepped in. "Miss me?" She grinned stepping into the shower letting the water pound on her face. She stepped out from under the water with her wet hair slicked down her back.

"Did I miss you?" Sam asked pulling her into his arms so that her breasts were squished against his chest. The steamy water cascaded down their skin in warm rivulets, the moisture of the air felt wonderful to draw into lungs that had been deprived of warmth for sixteen months. "Would you like me to tell you just how much I missed you Kara Anders?" He bent is dark head down to capture her lips in a kiss that stole her breath. "I hope that answered your question." he breathed against her ear.

Kara looked up at him and whispered, "It did," she bit her lip to keep from giggling. "Sam… I just want things to be like they were before, only better, you know, just the two of us for now. I know we've got a lot of things to work out and things to rebuild and all that takes time. "I…" And then he was.

Sam framed her face with his hands again and kissed her hard, her long blonde hair was falling in her face from the water hitting it. "Kara stop thinking and enjoy yourself for once." He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her tightly up against him.

She gasped at the sensation as it sent ripples through her body. She gripped his shoulders tightly, digging her nails into his skin. He ghosted his right hand down and rested it on her hip, pulling her closer to him. "Gods, Sam, I missed you so much, I need you more than ever."

He smiled and walked her over and slammed her against the stall door. "Look, I know things won't always be perfect for us, we'll argue, we'll fight, we'll treat each other like crap at times, but I know one thing. You're my soul mate and I can't live without you," he said just before leaning in to kiss her.

* * *

They kissed, touched, and caressed for several long and wonderful moments, her bare skin receptive to his touch, and his to hers. Sam took the bottle of liquid soap and slathered it over Kara's silky skin. Gently and lovingly he took up the cloth and ran it over her body. All the while, he had her back pressed up against his chest, while his hands went about their slow and tantalizing work of washing her. He whispered words of love into her ear of things he wanted to do to her, of things he dreamt of over the time of their separation. 

When he was finished lathering her front, he turned her so that she faced him once again. The water washed away the suds and plastered her long hair against her head. He buried his hands in the wet strands tilting her head back so that he could kiss her deeply and passionately. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked her over and slammed her against the stall door and roughly commanded, "Grab the top." She obeyed and reached up and grabbed the top of the door just as he entered her in one quick thrust. "Oh Gods, Kara, I need you so bad."

The air was heavy with mist and steam as the two lovers, intent only on each other, made slow and passionate love in the shower. As Sam started thrusting, Kara could feel it coming again. So she met him, thrust for thrust, urging him on with her hips and squeezing her muscles all around him. "Oh, Gods, Sam… Faster... Harder… Now!" And somehow, he did. His thrusts came faster and he grabbed her hips and pulled her down to match his upward thrusts. Then she was breaking, her muscles convulsing around him, milking him as he burst and came inside her. She let go with one arm and draped it around him, out of breath. She broke, screaming out his name with the pleasure of it; "SAM!" and then she went limp.

Sam set her legs down and slid out of her only to gather her close and start kissing her again. His tongue swept into her mouth and then he burned kisses along her jaw line and up to her ear where he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. He kissed his way down her neck to her collarbone. She was spent. He gently gathered her up in his arms and walked them both under the shower letting it was away the remnants of their coupling.

When Anders reached his release within the hot slick sheath of Kara's body, he reached out to turn off the water, opened the shower door and carried her dripping to their bed heedless of the puddles of water his feet made on the deck or on the blankets of the bed. The resistance leader paused only long enough to voice his feelings about her before kissing her all over again.

At his touch, she broke the kiss and let out a low moan, arching her back into his touch. He took advantage and bent to her neck, tenderly licking and biting at her pulse point. "Oh Gods, Sam." Desperately starting to ache, she grabbed his shoulders and tried to pull him closer. Sensations shot through her, causing her to tremble with need. "Gods, Sam, I missed this," she moaned and pushed him down to the bunk.

Kara looked into Sam's stormy blue eyes and saw into his soul and knew that everything about him was right for her. He was echoing everything she'd ever felt. It was as if he knew what she had hidden in her heart, that every time she was near him, a little part of her came back to life. Her thoughts flickered briefly to everything they'd lost, everything she had lost and she quickly made her decision. She wanted to live him forever. She felt like she was drowning in him. She'd kissed Sam before and she never forgot the taste because it was exquisite, like rich smoky ambrosia. Greedily, she stole his breath and made it her own, while twining her fingers in his hair as she leaned in closer to him.

As he sat there looking up at her, he sprang back to life. Gods, she was beautiful, her long blonde hair tousled because of his hands, her lips swollen because of his kisses. As he stared at her, she started to blush, feeling shy under his intense gaze. She almost turned away, but before she could he grabbed her hand. "Gods, you're beautiful Kara, and I want you. I missed you too."

* * *

Kara pulled back at that moment and looked down and smiled. Sardonically she said, "Is that a resistance member in our bed, or are you just happy to see me?" 

Anders chuckled deeply in his throat, the sound reverberating though his chest and tickled her ear. "I think it's safe to say that I'm rather glad to see you. I want you." He waggled his eyebrows and thrust his hips against hers to show just how much.

Kara straddled his lean hips and laid her head against his beating heart. She smiled at him, "I want you too, I need you inside me right now!" As she leaned down to kiss him, he grasped her waist and pulled her close, sitting her in his lap with her knees bent up beside his shoulders and her feet planted beside his hips.

Huskily he said, "Then why don't you take a seat and let's go for a ride?"

"Gladly," she silkily replied as she slid herself down onto him slowly. Groaning as her wet heat engulfed him, he drew her closer and rested his head on her shoulder. Once he was fully seated inside her, she started rocking back and forth against him. He threaded his hands through her hair as their mouths met in another fiery kiss. His hands went around her coming up from behind to cup her shoulders. She arched against him as he started kissing down her neck.

He trailed a hand down her silky belly until he found that sweet little nub nestled in her curls, right above where they were joined. She let out a scream as his fingers found her clit. She could feel her orgasm building. As they started thrusting harder and faster. "Oh, Gods, Sam, I'm coming! Right now!" She shouted as wave after wave of sensation crashed over her. With her last conscious thought before riding the wave, she clenched down on him and felt him explode inside her.

They collapsed against each other, panting. When Sam was able to catch his breath, he said, "Frak, that was amazing Kara, but we're not done." He lifted her off of him and flipped her on her back. As he leaned down to kiss her, he said, "I believe I owe you one," and he captured her mouth in his. He sucked greedily on her mouth. Breaking the kiss, he slowly made his way down her body, stopping briefly to gently bite at her pulse points. Drifting kisses down her shoulders, he lingered on her breasts, taking each turgid peak into his mouth in turn, gently biting those perky tips causing her to gasp. Slowly, he kissed her creamy belly, dipping his tongue into her belly button feeling her shiver in anticipation. He softly licked each hipbone.

Gently he drew her thighs apart, opening her to his gaze. He placed tender kisses up and down each inner thigh until she was restlessly moving her hips and threading her fingers through his hair. "Sam, please, please!" She begged, Kara never begged. He parted her velvet lips with his fingers and thrust his tongue inside. "YES!" She shouted, as her hips began to buck. He continued thrusting and sucking until she was begging again. As she screamed his name and writhed on the bed, Sam felt her shudder with pleasure. He smiled and moved up to be on top of her.

* * *

This was all he wanted and needed. He was actually happy for perhaps the first time in his life. Sure playing Pyramid was still a great joy to him for he loved the game, but it could never give him what Kara had. Sam wanted to simply stay in her small quarters aboard Galactica forever. Of course he knew that wasn't going to happen. They would both _eventually_ get restless, Starbuck mostly, for he knew that deep down she was a warrior just as he was. Soon they would have to leave the safety of each other's arms and face the continual dangers that they faced and would continue to until and if they ever found the fabled planet called Earth. 

Sam didn't know if he truly believed in that mythical place, but he knew that somewhere out there a place for them was waiting. Some thought that New Caprica had been that place, but he knew it wasn't. Sam rolled them over so that they both lay on their sides facing each other. He gazed into her honey-warm hazel eyes seeing in them the love that spread through his being like snow that covered the ground. She'd wormed her way into his heart and he'd never be complete without her. "I love you." he said simply not being able to express in mere words the depth of emotion and feeling she evoked in him.

Kara ran her index finger along the edge of Sam's ear and stared into his eyes. "I love you too." She kissed his forehead and snuggled up close to him, making her entire body touch him.

He moved up beside her on the bed and leaned in to kiss her when there was a knock at the door. "FRAK," they both said in unison. Kara stood up and wrapped the sheet around her. "Just a sec," she yelled as she threw a towel at Sam, so he could cover himself.

Of course, the towel being a washcloth didn't cover much. "Thanks, Kara," he said dryly.

"Shh," she hissed at him. She paused as she opened the door. There was nothing she could do about the scent of sex that hung heavy in the air, except get rid of whoever was at the door.

She opened the door a crack and almost collapsed with surprise when she saw the Admiral standing in the doorway. "Admiral, sir, sorry. Please excuse my appearance, just… just took a shower," she stammered out, feeling her cheeks grow pink with embarrassment. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you about something," he looked over and saw Sam on the bed. "But I can see that you are busy, so it can wait. A shower Starbuck?" Adama smiled then grabbed the handle of the hatch and walked away.

She turned around and looked at Sam and grin. She felt like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "So where were we?"


	10. The Circle

Three days passed, Sam and Kara got lucky and received a room of their own that they didn't have to share with anyone else on the ship. They were lying in their bed asleep as the phone rang. Sam answered it and only said "yes" and "no" to who ever was on the other side.

"Doesn't look like we're going to be allowed any private alone time, does it?" Anders rose and pulled on his pants. He walked over to Kara's side of the bed and kissed his wife. "Good morning beautiful," he said between each kiss before he walked away.

Sam would have liked to spend the next several days lying there with his wife, however The Circle of Six was about to meet and he needed to be there. If only to give them his resignation. He couldn't be a party to their vigilante decisions and after what happened to Jammer, well, he couldn't be a part of that any longer.

"Apparently not," Kara rose up from the bed, yawning and stretching. "Hey there stranger," She picked up her clothes that he ripped off quickly last night, she put them back on. She noticed that he was quickly putting his back on too. "Where are you going in a hurry?"

Kara had no clue that Sam was part of The Circle. He kept it a secret from her. _Who would want to tell their spouse that they were killing people who were guilty or not guilty for their acts on New Caprica?_

"I'll be back. I just have to meet with someone," he kissed her quickly. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her what he'd been doing. What he had felt justified in doing, but no more. He knew that he couldn't however. He'd just have to live with the knowledge and consequences of his actions and pray that it wouldn't touch Kara.

"Well if you are heading out, I might as well too. I'll see what the Old Man wanted to talk about. I think I have an idea." She put her shoes on and laced them up, kissed Sam and opened the hatch. "See you in a few hours?" She looked back over her shoulder towards him. "Okay then," she softly said to him. She was about to walk out of their quarters. "Oh and if my idea of what Adama is going to ask me, would you have a problem with it?" She was torn, she wanted to be back in her Viper, but knew that it would kill Sam every time she was in it and might not come home.

Sam chuckled, "Well since I have no idea what you think he's going to ask, I don't know if I'd have a problem with it."

"I think he's going to ask me to rejoin the squad," she said.

"Oh," Sam looked startled. "Already?"

"Yeah, I don't think I'm ready for it yet. It's too soon for me. I'll tell him that I will think about it for a few days and get back to him. He'll understand why, he's the father I wished I had when I was growing up." Kara stepped outside their quarters. "Three hours tops. I'm walking pass the mess. Do you want anything?" She asked before heading to the CO's quarters. Nothing was as bad as Leoben's food as Galactica's. She forced herself to eat every meal on this ship.

With the meeting with The Circle in front of him, Sam had quite lost his appetite. "No, I'll get something later. Three hours. I'm already missing you," he watched as she strode down the corridor waving. Anders waved back and headed to the meeting place which was in an empty hanger deck storage room. It took him every bit of the three hours to return. He'd told the Circle members he was finished and that he'd not take part in the killings any longer. He waited for Kara in their bedroom, stretching his sore muscles and rubbing his aching neck. It had been a long few days and it was all starting to catch up with him.

* * *

Kara knocked on the CO's door and Adama let her in. For some reason she was nervous. _But why_? He motioned her to take a seat and she did. She didn't see Lee sitting in the corner until it was too late to walk out. She kept her cool surprising enough with him there. _How dare he be here and around me now, _she thought to herself.

"Starbuck. I want you to rejoin the fleet and become my flight instructor again," Adama asked.

Kara had a gut feeling about this. "I can't sir, not right now, I'm not ready."

Lee smirked. "Kara you're being selfish. You won't join because of Sam. He's the reason why."

"You don't know me anymore Lee. You have no clue what I went through down there, while…" She looked him up and down. She wanted to say gain weight and got fat. "…you sat back and did nothing to hurry back. Excuse me." She stood up from her chair. "I'm done here," she turned to Adama, "I'll give you my answer when I'm ready." She stormed out the office and walked toward her quarters wanting to scream.

* * *

Yanking on the hatch door she almost banged it on wall. Sam was back in their bed, lying down. "Starbuck?" Sam had been in a light doze for she'd been gone a bit longer for some reason and he was tired. "What happened? What did Adama say?"

She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off her shoes. "He asked me if I would rejoin the fleet and become his flight instructor again. I told him that I wasn't ready for it." Her bangs fell into her face as she let out a heavy sigh. "Lee was there too. He called me selfish. Me?! So I pretty much said go and frak yourself and I walked out."

"What?" Sam demanded. "That jerk." He'd never had much to do with Lee Adama. Only met the guy a few times but he knew he and Kara had history. She'd told him that she had been engaged to Lee's brother Zak and had feelings for Lee too but that was over when they got married. Or so he hoped. "I've heard he put on a few pounds while we were trying to stay alive." Sam said almost expressionlessly.

"You can say that again. Forget him. Fat or skinny he's still a jerk to me," she sighed and looked back at Sam. If one thing could have put her in a bad mood, it was Lee Adama. She moved her hair out of the face and lay down next to Sam. "So… how did your meeting go? Sorry that I was late."

Sam gathered her into his arms and kissed her neck. "It's over," he murmured against her skin. He'd quit and he felt a hundred times better. He'd still have to live with the guilt over the ones he'd had a hand in condemning to death, however there was no doubt in his mind about their guilt or innocence, Jammer was the final straw for him, however.

"What's over?" Kara asked concerned at the tone of Sam's voice.

He gave her a smile and kissed her gently as he shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. You need to relax sweetheart and I need to hold you."

Kara broke away from his kiss. She looked to his blue eyes and hugged him tighter. "Something is going on, on this ship. Adama told me that we are missing people that we know escaped New Caprica. It's probably Cylons aboard the fleet doing it. I can't image any humans doing it. Are you sure you know nothing? Nothing is going on with you, Sam?" She stared him straight in the face. There were some days where she wished she didn't know him as well as she did. "If you don't want to talk about it now, please tell me later. I don't want any secrets between us. I can't take anymore lies from anyone now." She placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

Sam winced at her words. It was probably _the_ worst thing that she could have said short of knowing that he had been involved in those missing people. "Later sweetheart, I promise later. Right now just let me hold you." Sam said almost desperately.

Kara let him wrap his arms around her body as they lied down in their. She had forgotten how much she loved to snuggle up with him in his arms. They talked for a few more hours over some things she needed to let out. Things that were keeping her up all night. She was determined to get a good night sleep tonight. Sam slightly rubbed her arms and her back, which was slowly putting her to sleep. Seconds later she fell asleep in his arms.

* * *

About seven hours later she woke up. Sam was still sleeping and didn't want to disturb him. She kissed him on the forehead. "I love you," she whispered before she got up to get dress and headed to the mess. She sat down next to the Chief, Seelix, and Colonel Tigh. Gaeta was sitting all by himself, so she got up and sat next to him. "Do you know what was happening to me when you were doing Baltar's dirty work?"

"Kara I was helping people." Gaeta replied.

"Helping," she scoffed. She couldn't take it anymore and left to return back to her room, but Seelix and Colonel Tigh approach her.

They took her into a storage room, and told her about The Circle of Six and what they were doing. She pondered on what they were doing and decided to join.

The Circle did a trial for Gaeta in the air lock. He wouldn't beg for his life. Kara couldn't take it anymore and made him beg after she kicked him in the face. "Beg... BEG! Tell them about the dog bowl and it's secret signal to the resistance."

"Starbuck what did you say?" Chief asked and looked at Gaeta. "Was that you that helped us?"

"I told Captain Thrace..."

"Anders." Kara interrupted Chief and Gaeta.

"I told Captain _Anders_ that I was helping people but I didn't know who I was helping."

Gaeta was found not guilty and was let go. "I can't do this." Kara slowly walked back to her quarters. She opened the hatch and saw that Sam was still asleep.

* * *

Sam woke when Kara returned. He'd known when she left but he couldn't summon the energy to get up, besides after the last three days, he figured he deserved a bit if time to rest. They had a lot of work ahead of them and he'd need his strength. As with anytime he woke, he suffered a bit of coughing, but it was getting better now that they were off New Caprica. "Kara? What is it?" He asked her as she sat on the edge of the bed. He'd help her through whatever it was that was bothering her. Now that he was free of The Circle he could be a devoted husband to her.

Kara knew she had made a lot of mistakes in her life. She had a long history of mistakes that made her the person she was today. The woman sitting here today, looking at Sam was a different woman than the one who had made those mistakes because she had learned from them. She had grown from them.

"I just met with The Circle. They handed me Gaeta's paper and told me he was next. I told them that what Gaeta told me in the mess hall. Something about a secret code with a yellow dog bowl. I just saved Gaeta's life. Then I told them that I couldn't do it and I left." Kara gasped and her eyes widen. "Was that your meeting yesterday?"

Sam had wanted to tell her, he was going to tell her but she'd beaten him to the punch. He broke eye contact with her and stared down at his hands. "Yes. I feel terrible now about that. At the time I felt justified, until Jammer. He thought he was helping Kara and we still did it," he was silent for a few moments. "Don't hate me Kara. I don't think I could deal with that if you did."

"Shh..." She placed her hands on his face and made him look into her eyes as she knelt down at his bedside. "... Don't say that. I would never hate you, never. You and I both thought that we were doing the right thing at the right time. Sam we weren't the executioners. Did you push that button to let them out of the airlock? No, Sam you didn't, you just sentenced them like I did with Gaeta. We were the jury of The Circle. I'm proud of you. I want you to hear me crystal clear on this. You did the right thing on getting out of there before it got out of control. I'm so proud of you for that." She said as she stroked his cheek with her hand, leaned in and kissed him.

Sam didn't believe Kara until he looked up into her hazel green eyes. Her lovely eyes that he'd happily drown in. In them he saw that she didn't judge him, that she didn't hate him for his actions. Sam crushed her body to his as he came as close as he'd ever come to crying with her present. Relief at her forgiveness at what he considered almost unforgivable actions. Relief that he wouldn't lose her to The Circle, that they had both gotten out in time before they were destroyed like the others. Anders knew that Tigh was way over the edge as was Seelix. Hell, he'd been close himself. "I'm sorry Kara," he held her tightly against the pain. "I wanted to tell you. I never wanted to keep anything from you ever." Sam held on to Kara as if he was drowning and she was his lifeline.

"Sam, you don't need to apologize. I understand. Really I do. Let's just forget about what happened with The Circle. But before we do, is there anything else I need to know about?" She let go of Sam, walked over to the hatch and locked it, making sure that no one could walk in on them. She walked across the room, passed Sam, sat down at the table. She pulled out the chair next to her and motioned him to sit in it and then crossed her arms.


	11. Winds of Change

Sam sat down and looked at Kara, straight in the eye and told her everything that he'd been involved in from the moment she'd been take from him almost five months before. Things that he wasn't proud of, some that he was, some that he'd like to forget. "I went a little crazy. I didn't know if you were alive or dead. I hoped and prayed that you were alive and I felt in my heart of hearts that you were still alive." Sam said very softly holding onto her hand the whole time.

What Sam told her, she was a little upset, glad and disappointed at the same time with him _. But who could blame him? _If somehow their positions down on New Caprica were switched, where he was the prisoner and she was the resistance leader. She would have done the same things Sam did. "Sam it's okay. I'm not going to judge you on your actions from New Caprica. It was crazy down there. Though I would have liked it if you found me sooner, but that's okay," she shrugged her shoulders. "We have to get what we can now for the future and the best way to do that is to be honest with one another." She scooted to the edge of her chair and looked into his azure blue eyes. She laced her fingers in his and squeezed his hand. "I love you Sam. I don't know what I would do without by my side every single day. I need you there, front and center, more than ever. For the rest of my life."

"I'm laying my soul bare before you Kara. I've no more secrets, no barriers this is who I am Kara. I'm the man in love with a warrior and Viper pilot. I'll always be here for you Kara, always. I only want to put the last year behind us and start over. A new life with you as my one and only love," he said pushing her bangs out of her face.

Kara smiled and cleared her throat. They were finally talking about the future. "I don't want to put the entire last year behind us, just the past four and half months. A lot of good things happened last year. But completely starting over is not happening. We just need to refresh a couple of things. We need to turn back time and gain those four months that we lost."

* * *

"I want to someday, not right away, have a child. A beautiful little girl more beautiful than Kacey, a little girl that looks just like her mother." Sam said with his heart in his eyes. _Where did that come from? _The thought of seeing Kara pregnant, having his children had been in his mind for awhile.

Kara got up from her chair and sat in Sam's lap. "Are you serious on wanting a child?" Her hazel eyes searched his azure blue ones. "Just being with Kacey those few days made me want to become a mother. But I can't give you a child Sam. I still want to have a child with you, but we both know I can't conceive but that doesn't mean we can't try. I would be a miracle if I could give you a child," she kissed his forehead and ran her fingers through his dark hair. "But from what Cottle told us on New Caprica that it wasn't possible."

Anders laid his head in his wife's shoulder, breathing in her fresh scent. "Everything is possible. I do want a child Kara, but I know that now isn't the time. Things as still too crazy and with you thinking about Adama's offer to get back in the cockpit... I won't take that away from you. When we start a family, I want it to be in a stable place. I want us to have a real home," Sam said then he sighed. "I don't know if there really is a place out there for us that is completely safe. I don't want to make decisions that will impact your life and career. I want us to make those kinds of things together. But no matter what Kara, the most important thing is that we love each other."

"Sam there is much more to me than flying. You know that. If I do rejoin the fleet, there are things that I can do without putting my life in danger. I don't even know if I want to jump back in my Viper. What if something went wrong and I didn't make it back home?" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sam, how long are we going to wait? Earth could be years away from us. I don't think we can wait that long to start a family. Galactica is the safest place that we have right now. We can make this work, I know we can."

"As I said babe, it's something that we need to decide together. I know that you're more than a pilot, but you and I are of a kind. We do need action. I don't want you to resent me for taking your freedom away from you. If this is something that you want to do then I'm more than willing to try right now, but it's a lifetime commitment sweetheart. I only want to be sure that it's something that we both want."

"Well let's talk about it and we will figure out something. You seem to want it and I want it. You worry about me to much sweetie. I would be more than happy to take another small break from the military and risking my life in my Viper. I'll just put myself on non-active duty." She swallowed hard, "I can even go to flying Raptors around the fleet. I know it's a lifetime commitment. It's not something you can make then have it thrown on the back burner and forgotten about. You aren't going to take my freedom away if we did decide to do this."

She tilted his head up to hers and smiled. She searched his blue eyes, seeing his emotions flash in his eyes. "And since we are on the topic of careers, what are you going to do? You need action. I can't image you sitting in this room, day after day waiting on something to do."

"A career? I don't know. I can't see having professional Pyramid teams now and that is all I know. I'm not a trained soldier but I think I did pretty well when we had no choice." That was another thing on Sam's mind and had been for the last year. _What was he going to do with his life? How to support his wife and eventual family if Kara could somehow conceive?_

Kara broke Sam's train of thought as she placed her soft lips on his, she kissed him. Which led on to other things that she did with him.

* * *

Two weeks went by without a single sign from the Cylons. Its been almost four weeks since the exodus of New Caprica. Things were beginning to look normal again and settled back down for once on _Galactica_. Lately Kara had noticed that she felt a little sick in the morning but once she started moving around she felt better. There were a few times she ran to the bathroom to throw up last night's dinner. Thinking that it was just bad food from dinner and didn't think about it after that.

Kara always got up early and did her morning run before Sam woke up. She would run about two laps around the ship which took her on average about 30 minutes to do if the corridors weren't crowded with people. Most of the time when she ran, she thought of things that needed to be done with her and Sam. One of the things lately was what Sam was going to do around the ship.

Hot, sweaty, and out of breath she ran to her shower and jumped in. She took a rather quick shower and walked up slowly to Sam on their bed. Sam was once again still asleep when she finished, so she woke him like she always did every morning. She placed her lips on his, ran her fingers down his chest until he smiled and kissed her back. "Hey there stranger," she laughed and broke the kiss. "I've finally got it!"

"Hey there beautiful. You got what, Kara?" Sam replied with a blank and sleepy face.

"Why didn't I think about this earlier? The Old Man would say yes to it. If he doesn't then he's crazy. Sam… the Marines! Adama lost a lot of his marines on New Caprica. And I over heard that he was looking for new recruits. Even though you haven't had the training for it, you sure have proven it. Tigh and the Chief could put in a good word for you. Frak Sam, you staged the whole rescue mission, if that doesn't prove it, I don't know what will."

"The marines? Oh no babe, I'm not cut out to be a grunt," Sam shook his head. "I only lead the resistance because someone had to do it. I'm not a natural leader and I don't particularly like the person I was turning into when I thought I'd lost you. I'm not the kind of person that gets a kick out of fighting."

Kara shrugged her shoulders. "Well Sam, I'm fresh out of ideas. Something will come up, but there is something that you said that isn't true. You are a natural leader. You were the former Captain of the Caprica Buccaneers. And if you didn't think that you could be a leader then you wouldn't have started that resistance on Caprica." She swallowed hard and looked into his sapphire eyes. "Then we would have never met. Think about that! You would still be stuck on that wasteland planet or dead if you didn't think you were a leader. But I'm done preaching." She sat back up about to leave the bed.

As Kara rose Sam grabbed her hand. "Wait, Kara." She looked back at him and he pulled her back down on to the bed. He raised the covers of the bed over her and drew her into his arms. "Would it change us?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Would what change us?" She asked.

"If I entered the Marines. I don't want there to be any conflict for you."

"I'm not a Marine, Sam, there wouldn't be a conflict," she replied.

Sam suddenly smiled. A genuine smile that reached his blue eyes. "And if there was a conflict?" He asked.

"Then that conflict would have to be settled some how." A huge ear-to-ear grin came across Kara's face. "If you started it, I would have to take you over my knee and punish you in ways you wouldn't believe. But like I said, I doubt there would be any conflict." Kara ran her fingers through his dark hair and down his neck. "But could you take orders from your wife if some how I was put in charge?"

"Ah hah! I knew that there was a reason you wanted me to get into the military! So you could order me around since I'd be some lowly private or something. You'd _like_ that wouldn't you Starbuck?" He asked calling her by her callsign as he did when she was getting too military on him. "You'd _love_ that wouldn't you?" He pulled her closer against his chest.

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Took you long enough to figure that out. You caught me red handed. You ruined my perfect plan," she laughed. She tilted her head slightly and grinned. "You better believe I would love it."

"And what kind of orders would you give me?" He asked huskily.

She leaned in and kissed him for a few moments. "My orders? I would order you to slowly take off your uniform now, kiss me and hold me forever. And I order you to do this every night, no matter what we put each other through."

Sam glanced down at what he wore. "Um, I'm not wearing a uniform," he said grinning. In fact he was only wearing a tank top and boxers. "I would gladly comply with your orders, but who would be in charge when we're not on duty? Would you allow me to order you about? Would you let me tell you to grab the rails with both your hands and not let go while I make love to you?" He asked kissing her slowly as he talked.

"I guess you could be in charge when we are off duty," she said as she made a pouty face but then quickly smiled again. "I'll grab the rails, scream and moan, I'll say your name over and over again, whatever you order me to do I have to expect it and follow it. I won't be an insubordinate officer with you in charge." Sam turned onto his back and brought Kara on top of him.

Her hand found the hem of his tank top and slowly began to pull it up. Sam drew her down to him and kissed her deeply. "Mmm… you know how to get my attention," he murmured as she pushed his shirt up higher.

"Now let's see just how well you obey orders. Grab the rail Anders," she said straddling his hips.

"Aye, aye Captain," Sam complied with her request.

Kara slowly and lightly ran one of her hands over Sam's bare stomach and chest while the other one removed his shirt. She bent down and placed light kisses on his chest. "Now listen carefully. This is your mission if you choose to accept," she said as she spoke through his chest. She went on about how she wanted this to run like. "I want nothing less, but I could always receive more. I love surprises." She smiled. "Now Private let's see if we can't promote you to Lieutenant by tonight." Sam's hands loosed the rail, but Kara reminded him that he wasn't to let go. "That will cost you Private," she said in a husky, seductive voice that sent ripples of desire down through Anders' body.

"Oh? And what kind of price am I to pay for that violation?" He asked. His hard stomach contracting as her long hair slid over the sensitive surface as her lips grazed and her teeth nipped at his flesh.

"I'm still thinking about it and you don't get to asks questions. I do all of the talking," she said seriously. "Welcome to your first day boot camp. I hope you like it. It's going to be hard, tough, exhausting, and draining" she mumbled through his skin. "You'll be lucky if you can walk tomorrow." She laughed and started to kiss his torso. She left a trail of kisses from his chest all the way to his neck. Her hands we busy at work with his boxers. Her mind was in a different place, one that she loved to visit. She was sort of daydreaming as she tugged on Anders' boxers about to rip them off of his body. But she was interrupted by the PA system and Sam was just beginning to enjoy their game.

_Attention, pass the word to Capt. Anders. Capt. Anders, please report to CO's quarters. _

Kara sat up straight and looked at Sam. "What?! No!... Not now… Why?" She asked irritably as she slammed her fists on the bed and got off of Sam.

Sam let go of the bedrail and sat up taking his frustrated wife in his arms and tipping her face up to his. "Go on babe and see what's happening. I should go see about what I need to do about joining your Marines. Tonight you can continue where we left off." He said huskily as he kissed her hard and fast leaving no doubt in her mind just what he wanted to do.

* * *

She threw on her gray sweat jacket and zipped it up. She checked herself in the mirror making sure she was presentable. She opened the hatch and turned down the corridor to Adama's quarters. _What did he want this time?_ She turned the last corner and came up to his door. Raising her hand to knock on it, it opened and the person standing there holding the door was the last person she wanted to see. "Lee... what are you doing here? Never mind. Could you move out of my way?!" He scooted aside and she walked passed him. Adama was sitting at his desk.

Kara cleared her throat, "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Do you have my answer? I have given you weeks to think about it?" He said as he got up from his desk.

"I do have your answer, Sir. Where's my flight suit?" Adama smiled as she answered.

* * *

Anders went looking for whoever it was that he would need to talk to about doing something around the fleet. He wasn't about to sit on his ass especially if Starbuck was going to go back to flying, and he was certain that she was. Like him, she was just too restless not to do _something_. He didn't want to have to go see Tigh... he'd heard that Adama wasn't too happy with him and he wasn't sure if going to see the Old Man himself was the thing to do. So instead he sought out the Chief. After a long talk that gave Sam more to think about he returned to his quarters, his face expressionless when he entered but there was a twinkle in his cobalt blue eyes. He sat down on the bed waiting for Kara to return. Minutes went by and he decided to take a nap while it was quiet for once. Plus this would give him time to gain his strength for Kara. Since she was about to hop on top of him early this morning and he just couldn't resist her when she did that.

* * *

"Your stuff is in storage in the small locker-storage room in the hanger deck. I couldn't bear to throw it away. I placed them in some boxes; they have your name on it. It's good to have you back Starbuck, you're dismissed." Adama went back to his work. Kara saluted and walked down the corridors to the hanger deck. In the hanger deck she walked passed Apollo, Kat, Racetrack and many others. All of them curious on what she was doing down here in the first place.

She walked up to the hatch of the locker room and pulled it open, searching for her boxes. With in fives minutes the organized locker-storage room was a mess; but she finally found her boxes. There were just two of them, both small. She opened one of the boxes and on top was her old knife. She heard a voice, one that she was hoping to forget. She scanned the room but he wasn't in here with her. She heard him again this time louder. Leoben popped into her mind, and the voice came back again.

"Did you think you can leave me like that Kara?" Leoben's voice asked.

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" She felt something touching her neck and arm.

"I will find you again Kara and you will be mine."

Kara closed the box, picked it up, left the room and quickly continued on her way back to her quarters. Dozens of eyes were staring at her as she left.

* * *

Sam woke up from his nap when he heard his stomach. He went to the mess hall to grab some food for him and Kara for he suspected that she really hadn't had much of a chance to eat properly. Come back to their room, he sat the small offering on the small table in their quarters and then sat down to wait for Kara to return. She arrived a short time later, but she looked worried, pre-occupied.

Kara?" He asked softly as he took hold of her boxes and placed them on the ground next to him. Then he grabbed hold of her hand to draw her into his lap. "What is it babe?"

Kara sat down in Sam's lap, and stared down at her hands before she looked up at him. "It happened again, this time out of the middle of nowhere. I thought I was over it, I haven't had one in a week." She placed her head on his shoulder and took his hand into hers. "I was just going through a box and I heard him. It was like he was there in the room, but I knew he couldn't have been there. I felt something touch me and I got the frak out of there as fast as I could..."

"It's okay Kara. Leoben is no where on this ship. You know that."

Kara looked down at the table and saw a small tray of food. "Is that for me? You're so thoughtful." She couldn't remember the last time she ate or what she did eat. "Did you eat already?" He nodded and she reached over and pulled the tray closer and smelt it. "Smells good. Did you..." She pushed the tray away and placed her hand over her mouth. "I... I think I'm going to be sick."

"Kara?" Sam was startled at just how quickly she ran into their small in-suite bathroom. He heard her retching, his heart going out to her yet he was powerless to do anything. "Babe you okay?" He asked through the door.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Babe open the door and let me in please," he heard her get up from the floor, flushed the toilet. When she opened the door her face was pale, shined with sweat and she was shaky. "Here Kara, lie down sweetie. You're just on edge babe. I'm going to take care of you. It's going to be okay." He brought her over to their bed and helped her in.

"I'm fine Sam like I said earlier. It was probably from dinner last night."

"For the pass two weeks that's been your same excuse. What's really going on?" He knelt next to her, his blue eyes worried. He had noticed that Kara had lost a lot of weight since the Cylons arrived on New Caprica and she wasn't gaining any of it back because right after she ate she would throw it right up.

"I don't know. I have been thinking about a lot of things that happened to me down on New Caprica."

"After what you went through Kara, I think it's normal to have this kind of reaction when something triggers a memory." He said even through he really hadn't a clue what he was going on about. He only wanted to comfort her and let her know that he'd always be there for her. "But it's okay."

Sure she would have flashbacks and horrible memories of the torture she was put through for four months, but something didn't add up. "It's not okay." Kara bit down on her lower lip and looked at Sam kneeling beside her. "I think its just from me being all stressed out. I'm also..." she was going to tell him that she was also late, thinking that stress was doing that to her body but and another wave of nausea hit her before she could tell him.

Feeling a little hot, sweaty and crappy, Kara got as comfortable as she could get in their bed. She rubbed her stomach over the blanket of the bed, which she felt more nauseous now that she was lying down. She was about to sit up in the bed, but she became more nauseous by just slightly moving. She placed her hand back over her mouth again and took in a deep breath. She gasp as she realized than she forgot to mention that she was back in the fleet. "Baby, I'm so sorry don't be mad. I forgot to tell you, I took Adama's offer. I'm back flying Vipers again." Kara held out her hand to Sam. He took it and kissed it sweetly. "I'll see Doc Cottle first thing tomorrow to see what's going on with me." With her other hand she stroked the side of his face. Looking down at the bed and then back up at Sam she softy whispered in his ear. "Join me? You look tried babe."

"Ah sweetheart," Sam breathed as he joined her, holding her close against his chest. He didn't like to think of his brave and beautiful wife ill. "And don't worry about me being angry. I knew you were going to rejoin the moment we were rescued. How could you not? And I guess I'll just have to get used to you bossing me around for I've decided to take your suggestion and join the Marines."

"I'm not going to boss you around, Sam." Kara rolled her eyes before she turned on her side to look at him. "Wait… what? Are you really joining?" She asked. Sam nodded back to her. "I could put in the word to start you off as lieutenant instead of some low rank private. You don't deserve to start off that low. I won't allow it! And if they do start you off that low it's not going to last, for I outrank most of the Marines now and I will promote you myself!" She had to clam herself back down before she lost it in their bed. She placed her hand back over her stomach and rubbed it to clam it down.

Anders chuckled as he rubbed her stomach with her and looked back up at her worried about her being sick like this. "As much as I appreciate that my love, somehow I don't think that would be very fair. And how would it look to have my wife promote me and her not even in the same branch? No, I've already talked to them and I was assured that I'd be coming into it after some intensive training as a lieutenant." He said worry still in his blue eyes.

"Oh… intensive training, uh?" Kara grinned. "They better not work you to hard. So when do you start? I'll supervise." She flashed another grin across her face before she let out a yawn. She snuggled up close to Sam, wrapping her arm around him and placing her head on his chest. "I don't want to sit in my cockpit for ten hours. Do you know how boring that is? Well… it's better than flying a Raptor, so I guess I can't complain there."

Kara lay in her bed and stared up at the ceiling as she rubbed her stomach trying to clam it down so she could sleep. She felt as if she were under a constant threat. As if something had just crawled into her mind and was lying there, festering and trying to undermine her belief in herself and her strength. She looked back over at Sam who had fallen asleep on his side facing away from her. She snuggled up to him, spooning him, gathering the warmth that was coming off of him. _I'm just paranoid. There is no one out to get me. Okay... that's not true. All the things that prey on me during the day are haunting me at night now. But I am stronger than that. Stronger and better._

* * *

At that moment, her alarm clock went off. She jolted slightly by the noise. She might have gotten two-three hours of sleep. She walked into the bathroom & attended to the normal aspects of her morning ablution. Removing what little clothing she still had on, and stepped into the shower, mindful of the need to keep it brief as she had to be at the pilot ready room in twenty minutes. _Get in, get cleaned off, and get out. To bad Sam is still sleeping or this morning shower would be better._

Something felt wrong all of a sudden. She lowered her hands from shampooing her hair and looked at them. She assumed she was looking at thick residue from brown water. Then she realized that it was a distinctly different tint. Her hands were red. Dark red. Blood red. At first she thought there was something wrong with her shampoo. Then she looked down. Her eyes widened in horror. Blood was pouring down her body, cascading down her and swirling down the drain. Then that's when she noticed it.

The blood coming from the showerhead turned back into water. "It's going to be an amazing child Kara." Leoben said as he stood in the corner of the shower. "I told you that you have a destiny to fulfill," he pointed to her stomach as he walked up to her. "I'll be waiting for you after the child is born," he pulled her into him and kissed her and then walked out of the shower. "I'll be coming for you and my child."

Kara slammed against the far wall of the shower and looked up. Once again blood was gushing from the showerhead. She grabbed the handle of the shower door, but it didn't open. She jiggled the handle again, nothing. Kara finally screaming in full voice and pounded on the glass of shower door. "Sam! SAM! Get me out of here!"


	12. Frakkin' Doctors

Sam felt a hand smack him across the chest. He grunted and opened his red-rimmed blue eyes. The hand that hit his chest slapped down on his cheekbone and was followed by a bloodcurdling scream. He disentangled himself from Kara's flailing arms. "Kara!" He called out his hands gripping her shoulders and pinning her down into the bed. "Wake up babe! It's just a dream! Kara!"

"No! It's not yours! It's Anders'! Just frakking leave me alone Leoben. Get off! Please stop it!"

"Starbuck! Come on Kara wake up."

Kara's eyes shot open as she heard Sam calling out her name. Sam's grip on her shoulders eased as she brought herself back into the present. "Sam?" She asked. She reached up and turned on the reading lamp next to the bed.

"Kara it's okay. Leoben is no where near you. You're safe and I'm right here." Sam cupped her cheek and rubbed it sweetly with his thumb.

Staring at his face, Kara noticed that his cheek was red. "I'm sorry."

"I'm getting used to it by now. Third time this week, Kara. What's going on?"

Kara let out a heavy sigh as she got up from the bed and walked over to their small bathroom. Turning on the faucet she splashed cold water on her face. Guess having their own room was a huge benefit right now, so no one could see her like this. She grabbed the hand towel and dried off her face.

Sam came to stand behind her and put his hands gently on her bared shoulders.

Kara looked up into the mirror but the face she saw wasn't Sam's. It's was Leoben's. "No," she gasped and dropped her towel. But once she turned around it was Sam standing behind her.

"Gods Kara answer me. What's going on? Was it the same dream you had yesterday?" He asked. She was still pale, much too pale to suit him. "Come and sit down babe," he said pulling her back over to the bed and drawing her on his lap. "I want to take this away from you Kara. I... it tears me up inside to see you like this, knowing I can't banish your demons for you."

Rubbing her face and her eyes, she looked into his azure blue eyes. "I can't seem to shake this off. No… it wasn't that one. I don't even think it was a dream," she sighed and swallowed.

"What are you saying? Like a vision?"

"I don't know. I was in the shower. I was covered in blood that was coming from the shower head. Leoben was in the corner and he told me…" She looked over at the clock, it was two in the morning.

"Told you what?" Sam asked grapping her face to make her look at him.

"I'm seeing Doc. Cottle," she got up from Sam's lap, grabbed her clothes and put them on.

Sam stood as well and grabbed his shirt.

"Sam? What are you doing?"

He glanced up. "I'm going with you. You are not going alone Kara Anders... notice I said Anders, same as mine. We're in this thing together sweetheart. Remember that the vows we took said something about for better or worse?" He pulled on his shirt and then cupped her face gently. "I love you Kara. I wasn't there for you when you needed me before on New Caprica, but Kara you have me now."

Kara said nothing for a moment as Sam put on his shoes.

"Kara..." Sam began. But she put up a finger to his lips and cut him off.

Amazingly, despite everything that had just transpired, she forced a wry smile. "This is the beginning of a pep talk, isn't it?"

"Well..." Sam hesitated. "I don't know that I would have... yeah, okay, yes. It was."

"I appreciate that, Sam. Really I do. But I'm starting to think this is a situation that requires more than just a pep talk." She closed the space between them, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I love you, Sam."

"I love you too."

Kara let go of him after a few sweet kisses. Kara ran her fingers through her hair as she reached for the hatch to their bedroom. "Shall we then?"

Sam nodded and held out his hand to her. "Let's go babe, and remember that I'm with you no matter what."

* * *

They made the long trip to Doc Cottle's office and sickbay. He held on to her the entire time, rubbing her arms and pulling her into him when he saw her trembling. 

"Doc," Sam said as they entered, "Kara and I would like to talk to you."

"What about? I'm really busy right now, but Captain you can take a seat and I will right with you." Doc Cottle pointed to the nearest chair near him.

Kara felt her stomach clench as she looked around the med unit. She hated this section of the ship with a passion.

Sam noticed how tightly her hands were clenched.

"What is he busy with at…" Kara grabbed Sam's wrist that had his watch on. "…2:30 in the morning?"

"Not a clue," Sam said low as they both took a seat. Sam held onto Kara's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Relax Starbuck," he said, "you're not going crazy or anything. Remember what we talked about okay?"

Kara nodded and placed her head on Sam's shoulder. "I know Sam, but it sure does feel like I'm going insane."

One of Doc Cottle's assistances walked up to the couple. "We can move you into a curtain room now Mr. and Mrs. Anders."

Kara interrupts her as they are led to the room. "How long is this going to take? I have a rotation in a few hours."

"Depends on you, Captain," she replies before leaving them in the room.

Sitting on the gurney, Kara feels nervous again. She starts to bounce her knee uncontrollably.

To calm her down, Sam started rubbing her back with his hand letting Kara know that everything is going to be okay.

Kara either didn't mind or didn't notice. They were left alone for several minutes, as was the case with any doctors Kara had known. Sam continued to rub her lower back with one hand and held hers with the other. He talked to her soothingly until the doc entered.

"So what is it Captain?" He said in his gruff no nonsense way. "And since when do you need anyone to hold your hand?" He said flicking his eyes over Anders.

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Is that the way to treat a patient?" Kara snapped back at Doc Cottle. "Look its late, I'm tried and I can see that you are busy with a lot of people here. So I will cut to the chase. I'm having these horrible nightmares. I wake up screaming, sweaty, hardly breathing, beating up Anders as he tries to wake me up from them. I'm getting sick of it. What can you do?"

"So does this mean that you're afraid of the dark too now Captain?" Cottle said sarcastically.

Anders scowled at Cottle, "Jerk." Sam mumbled under his breath as he continued to hold onto Kara.

"That's not even funny." Kara looked back over at Sam. Her eyes were leading him on that this was a big mistake.

"Stay put and I will see if I have something to help. Let me pull your file while I'm at it." Cottle looked at Sam. "Is there anything else you would like to add to this Anders?"

Sam shook his head no but then stopped. "Wait, Kara has been throwing up a lot lately. But she claims that it's the food."

Kara sat straight up. "That's because it is."

"We'll see what's going on Captain with a few tests then," Cottle pulled back on the curtain and left.

"Kara, maybe it's not the doc you need to talk to. Not that he'd care one way or another." Sam still hadn't forgotten the _care _the good doctor gave him while he was ill. Of course Sam knew that he was limited at the time but the man had no bedside manner at all.

* * *

_Anders has pretty much laying in his death bed on New Caprica during the cold season on the planet. Doc Cottle continues to exam him checking his lungs, while Sam is coughing his lungs out. "It's okay." He told Cottle.  
_

_Kara comes into the bedroom of the tent, covers Sam up, kisses him on the forehead. "I'll be right back, okay?"_

_Sam just continues to cough._

_Kara walks outside putting on her jacket. "Hey Doc… wait. So?"_

_Cottle turns around. "There's fluid in the lungs. It's probably Pneumonia."_

_Pulling her hair out from under her jacket she looks at Cottle straight in the eyes. "So give him something."_

"_I'd love too. I've been out of antibiotics for months."_

"_So what, that's it?" Kara smirked._

_Cottle leans into Kara. "I have lots of patients to see. But he's young and he's strong. So make him rest, keep him warm and with a little luck he'll make it." He turns to leave._

_Kara kicks the ground. "Son of a bitch," then moves her bangs out of her face to stare down the street._

* * *

"We can get through this together Kara." 

"Yeah okay. Let's get..." Just as Kara got up, Doc Cottle came back in the small room.

"I looked through your files and we never did check you out from New Caprica. Don't know what type of viruses or bugs you have been caring around with you. Or what types of drugs those Cylons put in your system while you were in Detention." He shook a file, her file, close to her face. "Have a seat." He left shortly and returned. Kara's eyes widen at what was in his hands.

"And may I ask what type of tests you will be performing?" She asked as Doc tossed her a gown to put on. In the back of her head she was repeating. _Not a pelvic exam. Gods please not a pelvic exam. _

"Kara?" Sam looked at her. "You didn't get checked out since you've been back?" He looked at her slightly disapprovingly holding on to her gown.

"Exactly what I was saying," Cottle said returning. "You know the drill Captain, step behind the screen, put on the gown and be ready in five minutes. Your husband doesn't have to hold your hand for that, does he?"

Kara glared at Cottle the whole time until he left. "Son of a bitch."

"Kara." Sam said disapproving her words.

Kara looked at Sam. "What? You know I don't like doctors since Caprica. I'm just never over here anymore, I did show up once but the line was two clicks long and I was in no mood to stand and wait. While... forget it." She snatched the gown out of Anders hands, stepped behind the screen, tossing her clothes on the floor and put the thin gown on that didn't deserve the name of cloth.

Sam was waiting for her to change and was there when Kara came out from behind the screen. She came back and jumped up on the gurney as Cottle came back in as well.

"Well I'm not going to wait around forever to start. Now would be good." Kara still couldn't believe she was in the med unit, getting tests done at three in the morning.

* * *

Sam was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable watching her get a full exam but he said that he'd be there for her and he wouldn't back out on that promise. "You okay?" 

"Would you stop asking me that question," she snapped back.

"Sorry. I'm just worried about you that's all."

Doc drew her blood, giving the tubes to his assistance to have them check what was in her blood. When Cottle finished the basic exam, he instructed her to lie back and place her feet in the stirrups.

"Doc," she began. "This isn't necessary."

"Captain, it's frakking three in the morning. Now scoot your ass down here so we can get this done!"

Nothing is more uncomfortable to Kara than this single exam alone. She started to have a flashback of when Simon was doing a pelvic exam on her on Caprica. Kara lay down on the table and continued her exam with Cottle. Sam and Kara heard him mumbling something to himself. He set his tools down and then cleared his throat. "Starbuck you can get up now. I'm done." He left and went to check on Kara's blood test results.

Kara let out a quick sigh, as she half smiled up at Sam. She quickly sat up on the table as Sam sat next to her.

"Everything is going to be fine Kara. I'm not going anywhere if the worst news comes."

"Worst news? Sam I'm not dying here."

Cottle came back a few minutes later. "Well kids, I have good news and bad news. Bad news is that I can't fix your sickness problem, you are going to have to suffer through it. Because the good news is, well I guess you can call it good news on which way you look at it..." He cleared his throat again.

Kara and Sam were sitting on the edge of the table patiently waiting for _his _good news.

"Blood test results show that Kara has a HCG present."

Kara cocked her head to the side and Sam looked dumbfounded.

Cottle sighed. "It's a hormone pregnant women have. Judging by the levels of HCG, I would have to say that you are at least a month. When was your last period Kara?"

A month ago was when Sam rescued her from Leoben and brought her to the hideout. And that's when they made love to each other on New Caprica and shortly after in her quarters on Galactica. She knew something had happened that night that changed her but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Sam was in too much of shock to notice anything that was happening around him. His blue eyes flew open wide at the doctor's words. "Are you sure?" He asked. "Isn't it too soon to be able to tell? You're kidding right? Funny Doc," he frowned at the doctor.

"Would I lie about something this serious, Anders? I'm not joking. I'm the doctor not you." Cottle began to write something down in her file. "Kara when was your last period?" He asked again.

"It was two months ago. This isn't right, I can't be…" Kara fainted on the table.

Sam felt Kara drop back onto the table. He shot up out of the bed and rushed to her. "Kara!" He grabbed hold of her hand and began to stroke it.

Cottle rushed to Kara's other side. "Come on Captain, snap out of it."

Minutes later Kara opened her eyes and saw two faces were right up in hers. "What... personal bubble guys, back off," she splat out.

Sam helped her up into a sitting position. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she sat there rubbing her head, trying to make sense of all of this. Only time would tell if she was or wasn't pregnant. "I'm what?"

Cottle lit a cigarette, "Captain you're pregnant," he bluntly told her

"But you said that the chances of me conceiving were impossible, because of what the Cylons did to me and that my other ovary was damaged. You said…" Kara turned to Sam. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Sam gold fished for a moment before looking at Kara closely. "Oh gods Kara. You're pregnant!?" He asked half grinning and half still disbelieving.

Kara rolled her eyes. "Not the answer I was looking for."

"A baby..." He looked deep into her eyes and suddenly kissed her deeply. "I do love you."

"We're going… to have a… baby." Kara couldn't believe the words that were escaping her lips. She wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and kissed him. "I love you, Sam. I can't believe this. Me?... Us?... having a baby?"

Cottle signed her release form and started to walk out. "Now would you two get a room with walls."

"Sam, honey could you hand me my clothes? I want to get to our room before someone over hears us talking about this."

"Right," Sam handed her her clothes and paced the small confines of the cubical as she dressed. _A baby, they were going to have a baby._ The thought floored him. His mind was spinning with a thousand thoughts as they left the medical bay and headed back to their quarters.

Kara's thoughts returned to her dream she had earlier. _Could it be coming true? But it can't be Leoben's child. We never had sex to start with. Every time he got close I killed him. No it's not true. This baby is Sam's, I know it is._


	13. Breakfast is served

Sam held onto Kara's hand as if they were teenagers on their first date, looking and taking in her emotions that were coming off of her. She looked happy and calm, more overjoyed then anything and a little sad at the same time.

"Sam?" Kara inquired when he almost absently walked into the hatch in front of them.

"Hmm? Oh I'm sorry." Sam pulled on the hatch and held it as Kara walked in. Once inside he closed it and walked up behind Kara. "You'd better lie down. Or are you hungry? What can I get for you?" Then he gathered her in his arms and hugged her tightly, squishing her stomach into him. Then he released her abruptly. "Lords Kara! I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked terrified.

Kara raised an eyebrow up towards him. "Hurt me? No baby, I'm fine. I'm not _that_ pregnant," she smirked up at him. Kara pulled Sam back in her arms for another embrace. She held on to him for a few moments as one of her hands stroked through his dark hair. "Actually I am hungry for once."

Kara looked at the clock on the wall; it was five in the morning. It took them three hours to see Doc Cottle for something to help her out with her horrible nightmares, and they came out of the sickbay finding out that they were going to have a baby.

"Breakfast sounds great." Kara smiled

"Then breakfast it is. What shall I get for you?"

"Get for me?" She asked eyebrows rose.

"Yes, get for you. You are going to allow me to pamper you for a change. You're going to lie right here in bed until I get back with our food and then I'm going to show you just how much this means to me. I want to show you just how much I love you and how thankful that you're back with me." Sam said eyes alight with happiness.

"A girl could get used to this, Sam. Me, pampered? Who would have thought this day was coming. I'm loving it already. Are you in the mood for waffles?"

"Waffles it is."

Kara walked over to the bed and threw herself up on it. She padded a spot on the bed next to her, motioning to him to take a seat. "You don't have to show me how much you love me, you do it all the time Sam. You show me through the simplest things and you don't even know it." Kara placed her head on his shoulder as they sat on the edge of the bed.

"We'll need to talk... to plan things."

"Yes we need to talk. We have a lot to talk about, but food first my love. I'm starving."

"Breakfast is on it way." Sam kissed her lovingly before he headed out.

Kara was normally a fairly good eater, she wasn't terribly picky but lately he'd noticed that certain things made her feel ill, so he tried to remember what they were, for now it made sense. He'd got some toast, waffles, bacon, eggs and cereal along with milk, juice, and some fruit and he even found some tea.

* * *

Kara took a small nap while Sam was gone. Which didn't help at all. Her dream flooded straight back into her mind. Almost the same one but this time she wasn't covered in blood or in a locked shower room. 

_"It's going to be an amazing child Kara." Leoben said as he walked around the bed that she was lying in. "I told you that you have a destiny. That it had already been written." He came and sat on her bed, rubbing her swollen stomach that held her baby. "Your special. You and your baby. God wants us to be together. That's why he sent me to you, to help you get back on the path. Your destiny is to lead us to..."_

Kara jerked awake and sat back up on the bed, bringing her knees into her chest while she waited on Sam to return. "Get a grip on yourself Kara," she whispered to herself.

* * *

There was enough for the both of them as Sam entered balancing the tray with one hand while closing the hatch with the other. "I hope this is alright sweetheart."

Forgetting about her nap and nightmare, she hopped off the bed and walked up to Sam. "Looks good." She said as she popped a grape in her mouth and smiled. "These aren't that bad for once." She looked up at Sam. "What is it?"

"I ran into Cottle and he said to expect more of the same for the next few months," he said setting the tray down. "And that you're going no where near a Viper anytime soon," he said wondering just how this news as going to hit her and he hoped it wasn't him that was going to get hit.

When Sam told her about Cottle taking her Viper away, she knew it was coming. Of course today would be the day that she found out that she was pregnant. In two hours she was supposed to be suiting up for a simulation with Lee to help those that stayed on New Caprica to refresh their memory on the Viper. She was looking forward today for weeks.

"I was just thinking about my flying status while you were away, actually." Though she wasn't thinking about that at all at time. She grabbed a piece of toast and took a small bite off of it. "Looks like I'm stuck with the excitement of the CIC, giving Adama and Tigh my two cents, and seeing you all day long." Kara smiled up at him before she took another bite of her toast. "Hey don't worry about me. I have gone over a year without flying. What's another nine months going to do to me?"

Sam looked uncomfortable, "Kara, it could be up to a year before you're allowed back in the squadron. You have to take into account the weight gain, you'll have to get back into shape, not that you're going to get fat and lazy by any means, but having a baby takes a large toll on the body."

"Oh? And how do you know so much about it?" She asked.

"I'm not an idiot Kara," he quickly stated.

"I never…" Kara began but Sam cut her off.

"On Caprica... I had a sister and she had kids. I also had several friends that had wives who had kids," he said softly. He hadn't allowed himself to think about all the family and friends he'd lost when the Cylons destroyed his home. Then with the militia there hadn't been time. He hadn't even mention much to Kara about his brother, sister and parents. "I just don't want you to make unrealistic goals and be disappointed if you can't meet them." He willed away the pain he felt that the thought of his family never knowing Kara or their child. He hadn't realized just how much that would hurt.

"I never called you an idiot Sam," she said as she set down her piece of toast. "Just a frakking moron. I still can't believe that you thought that you could sweat out your Pneumonia by playing Pyramid." The memory of her picking him up off the ground on the Pyramid court, the heavy coughing coming out of him, made her butt tight still.

Kara noticed that Sam got all quiet on his side of the table and was picking at his food with his fork. He never did pick at his food like that.

"Okay so that wasn't the most brilliant thing I've ever done and I know you said that with affection," he looked up at her, "right?" Sam set down his fork and looked back down at his plate.

"What's on your mind Anders?" Kara only heard Sam talk about his family maybe four times since they were together. He had looked for his parents when he was on Caprica when he could get down into Caprica City but there was no sign of them. His brother and sister lived on Picon, so there was no way to look for them.

Unlike Kara, her father died when she was young and lived with her abusive mother until Kara and received a scholarship to the Fleet Academy to play pyramid but that didn't last long. Her mother died of cancer shortly after Kara graduated from Colonial Fleet Academy and had become one of the top Viper pilots in the school. "You're thinking about them again aren't you?"

"I just suddenly... yeah, I guess so," he said softly.

"I know how hard it is for you. If both of my parents were still alive when the Cylons attacked I would know what you are going through." She reached her arm over the table and grabbed his hand. "Hey, but now we have each other and that's what counts right now." She paused and looked into his azure blue eyes. "They could be in another fleet like I said before, we can't be the only ones left from the colonies."

"We can hope," Sam gave her a quick sad smile. "You know that I won't rest until I know for sure. Someone somewhere has to have seen or heard something wouldn't you think?" He asked. "I mean even people in the city survived, and they... they didn't live inside the city proper." Sam knew that he was grasping at straws, but he would not give up hope.

"Maybe. I don't know for sure." Kara didn't know if that was true or not, but she said to him anyway.

Right now both of them needed something positive to look forward too. Well something closer that wasn't eight months away. She got up from her chair and started cleaning off the table. She didn't eat much because she was just going to throw it up anyway in a few hours. Like she did every morning from the lovely symptom of morning sickness. She placed her plate back on the tray. She did eat but it was just a few grapes and two bites of her toast and waffles. Then she started thinking out loud.

"I do need to talk to the Old man anyway. I can ask him to update the records of those that are in the fleet. All of us. Just to see if we missed a few people on accident."

She reached over for his plate and was about to grab it, but didn't it. "Are you done with your breakfast?" She asked him as she walked over to his side of the table.

"I'm done," he said as he got up from his chair to help her out with their dishes.

She stood there, placing her hands on her stomach and rubbed it. She thought of anything to say to him to get his mind off his family. "When does your training being? Soon right?"

* * *

**Sorry that it was so short. I promise the next chapter will be longer and with a little bit more action. Maybe I'll throw in a surprise guest or something like that. **

* * *


	14. Kidnapped

**As I promised this chapter is long, has action and I added a two surprise guests. I hope you enjoy and please review it. Thanks - Cassie  
**

* * *

A month had pass since Kara and Sam found out she was pregnant. Sam did join up with the Marines and was almost finished with his training. Still no one knew exactly why Kara wasn't on flight status. She was about two months pregnant according to Doc Cottle with her last check up. Everything was looking good, the cravings, the mood swings, and everything else were in full swing with her. 

_Technically this pregnancy was Sam's entire fault and not mine, _she told herself every morning as she ran to the bathroom. There wasn't a day where she didn't bite off Anders' head. Whether it was from the smallest thing like him not picking up his dirty clothes in their bedroom or turning on the light when she was sleeping. Or a big thing like him going off of Galactica and not telling her.

Sam knew that Kara wasn't having a great time with this; she had all of the classic symptoms of pregnancy. She was sick almost from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning but after she got over that an hour or so later, she was famished. Then certain smells did her in like almost anything coming from the mess. Sam brought her tea, toast and fruit for breakfast, soups and light fare for lunch and dinner. Her appetite was erratic at best and he could tell that she'd dropped a good ten pounds in the last two months.

Doc Cottle assured them that this was normal as were the extreme mood swings. One moment Kara would be biting his head off and the next she'd cling to him crying. He had to admit that he liked the nights the best. She'd curl up against his sore and aching body, if he thought training for the C-Bucs was demanding, that was nothing compared to what he was doing now. He too had lost weight and put on muscle. He was much trimmer now and when he returned to their quarters after his shower, he wanted only to sleep, but he had to look after his lovely wife.

It was starting to wear on him however. Oh he knew that she loved him. He had no doubt of that, but her mood swings were hard to put up with all the time. Like this afternoon just after Lee gave her more paperwork to do.

* * *

Kara shifted the paperwork around on her desk before putting her head in her hands and sighed. Things were just so frakked up now. She couldn't even focus on the op that Adama had assigned her to work on. She heard the bedroom door open and closed. 

Sam came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her neck. "Kara…" She looked up. "How are you feeling today?"

"How do you think I feel, Sam," Kara snapped back. She was irritated with him and that stupid question that he always asked when he was done with his training. "Right now my boobs are really sore. Like they were squished under a parked truck."

"Sorry, wrong question to ask."

Pushing on the table's edge, she scooted the chair back and bumped it into Sam's legs as she got up. "I'm sick and tried of looking that these same four walls every single frakking day. I can't decide what is worse, the prison apartment on New Caprica or this room."

"Kara, I know how you must feel," he said in a placating tone realizing the moment it was out of his mouth, it was the wrong thing to say.

"Oh do you now? You know how I feel? Please tell me how the frak I feel Anders!"

Yes, he's walked into that one. "Kara," he began putting his hands on her shoulders. "I know this isn't easy for you," he said gently rubbing her tense shoulders. His legs were screaming at him to sit down but she needed him more than he needed rest.

Kara was exasperated with Sam once again. She always seemed to be pretty irritable with him when he returned from training. Of course she had gone all day working on papers, reports, and ops that no Viper pilot should have to go through. Lately she had been getting more and more visits from Lee, which never put her in a good mood when Sam came home.

The poor man looked like he had been hit by a truck and acted like it too, every time he was done with his training. Taking in a deep breath, Kara let it out as slowly as she could to calm herself back down.

"I'm just a little frustrated today, first with Lee and then you. Sometimes I wonder if men really think before they speak." She grabbed her reports that she needed to turn into Adama in five minutes and left their room with out telling Sam goodbye.

Anders sighed as he watched Kara slammed the hatch behind her. He'd given her a bit of space for he knew that she'd not really been to see anyone or any kind of a social level since they found out about the pregnancy. It wasn't widely known yet as they really wanted just to keep it between them for a little while longer.

That being said, there was a lot of speculation as to why she was no longer flying after just being reinstated. Adama knew of course, he always wanted updates on her process. And of course the medical staff and Laura Roslin. But for the most part the people understood the couple's desire for the time to enjoy this for themselves.

Sam decided to change out of his uniform and head to the gym to do a light workout to loosen up his sore muscles before hitting the steam room. He changed into a tank top and shorts and grabbed a towel before heading toward the gym.

* * *

Once again the CIC was jammed packed full of people. Three people had bumped into Kara from the moment she walked. The last person made her drop her reports and the papers went flying everywhere, which made her more frustrated.

"Here you go, Starbuck," Tigh was kind enough to lend her a hand on picking up her papers.

"Thanks Colonel. You didn't have too," she gathered her reports back up and quickly handed to Adama before something else happened to it and left.

Walking back to her quarters, she passed the mess and thought that a cup of tea would help her calm down. She made her way to the back of the mess and poured her a cup. Then the alarm went off for another Cylon attack, everyone quickly got up as she sat down to get out of the way.

Kara didn't even see that something fell into her cup as everyone was leaving, and she took a sip. There was only one other person in the mess with her. She couldn't see his face, but he wasn't wearing a uniform. He was wearing jeans, a button down t-shirt and a hat. She could have swore that she had seen that shirt before. "Civilians," she mumbled to herself as she finished her cup of tea.

Feeling groggy and disoriented all of a sudden, she looked back down at her cup staring into it, trying to figure out what she just drank to make her feel this way. Looking back up, she tried to stand up but then quickly changed her mind when her legs decided that they couldn't support her weight.

Sharon popped her head around the corner on the mess or that's who Kara thought she was. Sharon wasn't in her flight suit like she was just moments ago, she was in civilian clothes.

"Hey Starbuck."

"What are you doing here Sharon? I thought that there was a Cylon attack going on," Kara stated as the grip around her cup loosen and it fell to the floor.

"They didn't need me right now. How are you feeling? Groggy, lightheaded, can't move?" Sharon said as she walked up to Kara and nodded to the man in the corner. "Did you give it to her already?" He got up, nodded and walked over to Kara as well.

_How did she know exactly what I'm feeling like? _Kara thought to herself. She looked down at the broken cup on the ground then over to the man. The man turned and faced Kara, and she gasped. "Leo…"

Leoben placed his hand over Kara's mouth and didn't allow her scream to reach to the hatch of the mess. "Shh… Kara it's going to be okay," he grinned, "You're coming back with me. Then we can start all over again and have a family of our own this time."

Sharon took out a syringe and stabbed it into Kara's neck and injected her with something.

Kara continued to put up a fight until the effects of the drug started kicking in.

"This will only keep her out for a few minutes. We need to get out of here before they figure that Starbuck's missing. Our attack isn't going to stop until we are back aboard the basestar." Number eight said as she let Leoben place Kara's arm around his shoulder.

Anders was walking to the mess to grab a bottle of water when something odd caught his attention. It looked like Kara. She was being helped down the corridor by two people, one of whom looked like Athena. "Starbuck!" Sam called out.

Instead of stopping and addressing him, Sam saw they their steps hurried. Kara was half walking and half being dragged. Something was very wrong. He hurried after the trio shouting for them to stop. Then he saw Sharon turn her head and for some reason he knew it wasn't their Sharon. _Cylons! And they had Kara!_

Kara tried to stop, she was applying the brakes, but her legs kept on walking. It was like her brain was separated from the rest of her body.

The grip that Leoben had on her arm tightens and pulled her closer into his body. "This way, Kara," he whispered in her ear as he continued to push her down the corridor to vacant hanger deck, that hadn't be used in over a year. Sharon had left them behind to start up the Raptor since Anders had spotted them and was on their tails.

Just like Sharon had said the effects of the drug on Kara were starting to wear off. Once the hanger deck, she started gaining the movement and control back in her arms and legs. Leoben grasped her forearm; his grip was firm but not hurting.

"Let... go."

Still, he said nothing, merely stared at Kara with an unreadable expression.

"I said..."

Kara tugged and as she tugged, she was overcome by the _wrongness_ of the situation. She saw that Leoben was pulling her towards the Raptor. The air between them had changed and if she was reading it right, it was for the worse. A shiver worked along her spine as fear began to settle in her mind.

Intent burned in Leoben's gaze and Kara felt his body tensing, strength coiling, that split-second notice she had that he was going to do something to her. She lashed out before he could think, going for his neck and missing, nails dragging down his cheek instead. His fingers tightened on her arm and then she was being turned, twisted, her arm behind her back and her body crashing into the side of the Raptor with him slamming against her. He pushed her harder into the Raptor.

"Big mistake Kara."

Kara let out cry of pain as her stomach was being squished up against the Raptor. "Please stop Leoben," she begged as tears fell down her face. "Please stop."

He eased up, having no clue on why she cried like that. _Did I really hurt her?__But Kara never begs for anything_. Grabbing Kara's other arm, he starting to push her up and into the Raptor.

Anders was now close enough to see that Kara was fighting back but Leoben was shoving her into a Raptor. Sam dropped his bag and grabbed the gun he had in there. He'd only gotten it a few days ago and as a Marine, he was obliged to carry it around with him. He brought it up in one smooth movement since he was used to handling a firearm.

"Let her go!" He shouted holding the handgun dead center on the Cylon's chest. "Let her go and step back," he ordered carefully moving up.

"I don't think so," Leoben smirked, "I've worked to hard to get her back and I'm not going to allow you to ruin it now.

Sam's blue eyes swept over the other Sharon. "You too, get your hands up and up against the ship! Move!"

"Kara is coming with us," Leoben said. He'd stopped shoving Kara into the ship but he placed a hand on her breast and squeezed almost brutally.

Kara lashed out against his cruel touch but he held her tightly against his side.

"I said to let her go," Anders' voice was low and deadly, his azure eyes glittering hard in the dim lighting of the hanger.

"Sam, no! Get out of here…" All in seconds, something in Kara's shoulder popped, agony so sharp that she couldn't even cry out as it took her over. Kara's eyes watered from it, her body jerking.

Leoben didn't release her arm, keeping the pressure and the pain constant. "Scream, Kara. You know you want to."

"No," Kara softly groaned out in pain. Her shoulder felt stretched now, almost separate from her body. Nausea crawled about her belly and she wondered how upset he'd be if she tossed her lunch all over him.

"I don't want to hurt you, Kara, because I do love you, but this is to teach you a crucial lesson. We all need lessons from time to time. You're no different. So let's start this lesson with Anders."

Before Kara could react, Leoben pulled out a handgun and pointed it straight at Sam, while still applying pressure to her shoulder. "No..." was all that Kara managed to get out of her throat. With a twist of his hands, he realigned her shoulder. There was another pop and the pain throbbed even more.

Sam heard Kara gasp in pain at the cruel way he was twisting her arm behind her back and rage flooded through him. _How dare he treat her in such a way! Even as he professed to love her._ Still he kept his head. He controlled the adrenaline that surged through his body. "I said to drop it and let her go," his voice calm yet with a steely edge to it.

"I'm right you do need a lesson Anders, too bad you won't be around long enough to learn from it."

Sam had both Cylons to keep an eye on. The Sharon skin job was watching, just watching, and Leoben had a gun. Sam's own gun re-centered on the Cylon's chest. "Drop it!" Anders shouted. He knew Leoben wouldn't comply.

Kara no longer cared about her shoulder, whether it was sprained or broken. She grabbed Leoben from behind, trying to knock him down to the ground, like she tried in the apartment on New Caprica. She got her hands around his throat, but that didn't stop him from what he was about to do. Leoben's fingers pulled the trigger of the handgun.

He saw the muzzle of the weapon flash as if in slow motion at the same instant that Kara had managed to knock Leoben off kilter. Sam felt a white hot searing pain slam into his leg just above his knee just as he returned fire. He fell to the deck, the side of his head smacking sharply against the hard floor. His vision wavered in and out for a moment. He saw Kara's legs buckle and Leoben sling her body over his shoulder. Anders tried to call out, tried to move. The edges of his vision were blurred and the darkness of unconsciousness was approaching. "Kara..." he breathed as his pain-filled blue eyes began to slip closed.

Leoben placed Kara down on the floor of the Raptor. "Don't move Kara."

Kara was grasping for air, still trying to figure out what had happened. She heard a gun shot, but it was too loud for just one shot. _Where was Sam?_ She took in short shallow breaths as she looked up and saw that Leoben was leaning over her. "Stay… away from… me you… frakking… toaster." No air was going into her lungs. Black spots swam on her vision, his image tilting sharply. Her nausea increased. She saw that his shoulder was bleeding.

"Are you okay Leoben?" The other Sharon called out as she dropped something on the floor of the Raptor.

Kara couldn't see what it was but it sounded heavy. "Let me go!"

"The shoulder will heal, but Kara needs medical attention now!" Leoben screamed over the Raptor's engines.

The rending sound of her shirt tearing was just one more thing that would haunt Kara later, a new pain to replace old ones. She knew her struggles were ineffectual, yet still she tried. Had to fight him until she couldn't do it anymore.

"Kara! Stop moving! You've been shot. Let me take care of this."

Kara held her breath, grimacing as she consciously felt his hand on her chest. Shortly after that she felt lightheaded and sleepy, closing her eyes made it feel better.

"Kara, stay with me," Leoben begged as he gently shook her to keep her wake. "Sharon let's go!"

Moments later Kara could not longer keep her eyes open. She let the darkness over take her.


	15. Torment

**Another long chapter but I think you'll enjoy it.  
**

* * *

Voices intruded into Kara's loneliness. Were they friends or enemies, echoes of the past or voices the present? They weren't real or were they? 

…_How long has she been like this?_…_ a male voice asked._

…_Hours? Not sure when she came in_…_ a female voice answered._

…_Who brought her in?_…_ the same female voice asked but she was on the other side of Kara._

…_Leoben and Sharon_… _a different female answered sounding like the number six model Kara fought on Caprica._

…_How long was the surgery?_…

…_I got her in and out in 10 hours_…_ another male voice answered. Kara knew exactly who that person was. Simon.  
_

The voices continued. Eventually Kara opened her eyes but she wasn't in the sickbay of Galactica. The room didn't even look like it was Colonial at all. _Frak me, I'm back with the Cylons,_ she thought to herself as her vision cleared. And the blurs to her right turned out to be Simon, Cavil, two D'Anna's and Caprica

* * *

Sam woke slowly to intense throbbing pain in his right leg. He stirred on the hard surface on which he lay but found out that he couldn't move. Both by the fact of the pain in his leg and that he was bound to some sort of table prevented him from rising much more than his head and weakly at that. 

His blue eyes tracked about the room, it wasn't anything that he recognized on Galactica, but then he really hadn't been all over the ship either, but he knew that it wasn't sickbay either, of that fact he was very sure.

He struggled against his bonds but all he got from his efforts was pain shooting through his head and leg. "Hey!" He called out. "What the frak is going on?" It didn't seem to make a great deal of difference as no one showed up and all he managed to do was wear himself out and reopen his wound which now bled steadily.

* * *

Kara drifted on a sea of drugs that kept the soreness of her shoulder and chest at bay. The first thing that Kara did when she was fully awake was to see if another scar appeared on her stomach. She held her breath until she saw no scar. The second thing was if the baby was okay, since that's all that she has left of Anders now. 

The Cylons moved her out of the sickbay and into a small bedroom that was guarded by two Centurions later that day. They were still waiting on some test results. Kara still hadn't gathered the strength to sit up in the bed just yet. Checking out her shoulder and gun shot wound, Leoben walked in.

"I don't think I gave the bullet heads the command to let you in," she glared at him before she cringed down with the next wave of pain in her chest.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, he rubbed her arm. "Maybe so," he tucked the covers about her, careful not to touch her shoulder, "but I'm willing to bet they would let me in anyway," he smiled and looked down at her. "Doesn't it make you mad that your husband did this to you?" He asked as he touched her chest right next to the gunshot wound. "Be glad that I shot him and killed him." He pulled out a syringe, grabbed her IV and injected her with a pain killer.

"I don't believe you. Say your lies, I know the truth." Kara looked down at the syringe. "What are you giving me?" She asked just right before she fell asleep.

"It's nothing to worry about my love," with a kiss to her cheek, Leoben turned out the lights and left.

* * *

Anders was not so tenderly treated. Oh the Cylons didn't let him bleed to death, they apparently wanted that particular pleasure for themselves. The skin job called Six entered the room where he was being held in. He didn't know just how long he'd been wavering in and out of consciousness but the one thing he did know was that his wound had become infected. He felt the heat of fever begin to burn through his body. Movement was excruciating. He couldn't think straight and all he could remember seeing is the image of Kara suddenly slumping, blood blossoming over her chest as she fell to the ground. 

"You're awake. You're stronger than I gave you credit for." The sexy blond Cylon said with an unsympathetic tone. She checked his bonds even though he was much too weak to have broken free. Not that she was afraid of him, she only wanted to impress upon him that he was her captive, his life in her hands.

"Why... haven't you... killed me yet?" He asked struggling to hold his thoughts in line and keep his mind off the pain that surged through him.

"So anxious to die?" She asked him leaning over him so that her scantily clad bosom was near to his fever-bright eyes. "You'll be kept alive until we feel that you have outlived your usefulness or amusement."

"Where is Kara?" Sam asked closing his eyes against both the sight of her too real looking flesh and the constant pain.

"Anders, you know that answer already. You killed her," she said as her hand stroked his chest. "She's dead along with your child." She left Anders' side and walked over to a shelf of some sort and brought over a tray of tools. "Now tell me where Galactica is and which way to Earth."

* * *

A week might have passed, and in that week Kara thought of Sam every second. _He has to be out there somewhere. _She couldn't remember much after she was shot but she did remember something heavy hitting the floor of the Raptor before she blacked out. 

She found a pile of new clothes set on the end of the bed the next morning. She had gathered up the rest of her strength to sit up in the bed. She struggled, crying out a little when pulling on the shirt caused that a wave of pain in her shoulder and chest. She sat still, playing with the hem of the shirt a long while before fumbling with the buttons down the front. There was no way she could wear her usual clothes just yet. More time was spent trying to pull on and fasten her pants and once that was accomplished, Kara had abandoned the idea of shoes. Moving hurt too much. Kara heard the Centurions move and looked up, and there he was and he didn't look happy either.

"Woke up on the wrong side of your lonely bed?" She spat out. "What are you doing here again?" The Centurions moved again and she saw Simon and Six walk in the room.

Simon walked up to Kara. "Have a seat Kara. I looked over your test results we did after your surgery. Looks like someone has been busy after New Caprica. Even managed to get yourself pregnant with only one ovary." He stated.

"To bad Sam will never see his child." Six added.

Leoben cut in," You foiled my plans, God's plan. You and I were going to have a child. A family of our own. Us." He shook his head and walked out.

"What the frak did you do to my baby!" Kara said with a stern tone, as she rubbed her stomach with her left hand. Growing worried that they had either killed it already or were planning on too soon, but she never let her true emotion escape to her face.

"Let's just say Leoben wasn't too happy when I told him, but I'm not a murder Kara." Simon said as he grabbed hold of Kara's IV.

Leoben stormed back into the room. "I want that thing dead by tomorrow and we will continue with my plan."

Simon looked back at Leoben as the drugs put Kara back to sleep. "I'm not killing that child. God will not forgive us of that sin."

"Then get Number Six to do it. She seems to not care about killing babies." Leoben stormed out of the room and down the corridor.

Simon looked back at Kara's sleeping body. "You have nothing to worry about Kara. I'm not going to let Leoben follow through his plans."

* * *

Anders didn't know just how long he'd been there, not yet just where he was, all he knew was that he felt on fire with fever and pain. The thrashed restlessly on the bed the Cylons finally transferred him to when it was apparent that the young man was in no condition to resist in anyway. 

He'd been secured there as well and given some medical attention for they didn't wish him to die just yet. Six especially thought that he'd have something to tell them for he now wore a set of Colonial military dog tags which identified him as military. She had questioned him relentlessly when he was lucid enough to comprehend but he was stubborn to the point of refusing even the most basic of questions.

His leg had become infected and the Cylons were trying to fight it but it was resistant to the drugs they had. Sam's alarmingly high fever had dropped to safer levels, but he was still in danger for it had not been completely eradicated and unless they could find something that would fight the infection, he would die.

It was one of the Sharon models that took pity upon Anders as he lay on the bed soaked with fever sweat and pain. She didn't seem to agree with what the others were doing to him, the physical and mental torture.

The Six model seemed to delight in telling Sam that he'd shot his wife and killed her on the hanger deck. He prayed to the gods that it wasn't true and felt in his heart that it wasn't. But all he could remember were scattered bit of memory one of which was the image of Kara falling and blood blooming over her chest.

Someone entered the room and approached him. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing as slow and even as he could while his somewhat fuzzy senses tried to discern who was going to bother him now. A cool hand lay lightly over his hot brow and then removed being replaced by a cool damp cloth. It was heaven to feel the coolness against his burning flesh. He barely suppressed the urge to sigh in relief.

"Sam? Can you hear me?" The voice asked. It sounded like Sharon.

He didn't answer and he felt her loosen the bindings on his wrists.

Her fingers rested lightly against his wrist to feel his high, rapid flutter of his pulse. "Damn it," she cursed and called for a Centurion to enter.

Sam heard the metallic footsteps on the floor and felt himself being lifted as if he weighed no more than a feather. He was brought out of the room and taken down the hallway. _Now was the time to try and escape!_ His mind called out but his body refused to obey his commands. He was being taken to their sickbay.

The Sharon model ordered the bullet head to gently lay Anders on the table. "We're losing him. What good is he if he dies before he's well enough to tell us what we need to know?" She demanded and ordered the doctor, who was a Simon model, to do something for him.

* * *

"Leoben has no idea that your child is still alive. I lied to him about the tests. You just have to watch yourself. Keep the IV in and try to rest. Most of all be careful of your stitches. Your wound still hasn't fully healed. Any type of strain could rip them and it would start bleeding again." 

Kara got of the bed and slowly and carefully walked up to Simon. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"This," she pointed back and forth between the place of her and Simon, "why are you taking care of me and my child?"

"There are some things that can't be explained Kara. I had a feeling that whatever Leoben wants with you it wasn't right."

"But you don't have feelings or emotions. You have programs that make you think at."

"Kara just be glad I didn't follow through with Leoben's plans and let's leave it as that." Simon turned to walk out of Kara's room. "I will check on you later this afternoon. Here's a clean shirt for you," he placed the shirt on chair and left.

Kara nodded and stood in front of the mirror, pulling off her dirty shirt and started to check herself out. She ran her fingers over the small gun shot wound scar right above her right breast. The stitches looked awful like a ten year old sewed her up. She thanked the gods that she was still living today and cursed them at the same time. Her shoulder wasn't killing her for once in two weeks. Yes Leoben and Simon both told her that she had been back with him for two weeks now.

She started buttoning the top buttons of her clean shirt, and stop just right above her stomach. Lightly running her hands over her stomach, she smiled. Kara Anders was actually going to be a mother. _Who would have thought?_ She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a conversion going on outside her room. Kara still thought it was weird that the Cylons didn't have doors. _Did they not believe in privacy? _

…_trust me_…_ we have to_…_ Kara_…_ Sam_… Caprica's voice broke in and out.

…_his leg_…_ infection_…_ he's not going to_… Sharon's voice replied to Caprica.

…_what about_…_ she and the baby are __okay_… Simon added into the conversion.

Kara squinted. _What was that about? _Kara lost her balance as she tried to move toward the corridor to hear better. _Damn drugs!_ She thought to herself. Slowly walking up to the two bullet heads that guarded her, she tried to look out the corridor. The Centurions pushed her back into the room and Leoben came up behind them. "What's going on! I want to know right now!" She demanded as she finished buttoning the rest of her shirt.

* * *

For a change, Sam was not floating in a sea of heat and pain. He was floating but in peace. His blue eyes still fever glazed opened and he saw that he was in a different room, at least he thought he was, not that he could really be sure of anything. It was perhaps larger and full of medical equipment. He turned his head carefully aware of pain that throbbed just below the conscious level and saw a woman. He cringed back thinking it was the blond bombshell torturer but as his vision cleared he saw that it was Sharon, or one of them. 

"Sam?" She said softly. "My God Sam what have they done to you?"

"Huh?" He croaked his voice hoarse from dryness and disuse. He swallowed convulsively trying to get moisture into his mouth. She held out a cup to his parched lips and he swallowed gratefully.

"Never mind, we have to get you and Starbuck out of here before you do die on us."

Sam blinked. "Athena?" She nodded. "Starbuck?" He asked jerking upright on the table, or trying to but he was much too weak. "No… no, Starbuck's dead, Sharon. I killed her," he said as his head fell back on the pillow. "They told me I killed her. I was just trying to protect her. It was an accident."

"Since when did the Samuel Anders I once knew believed anything the Cylons told him?" Sharon raised an eyebrow as she brought a cool damp cloth to his forehead. "She's fine, she was injured, but she's fine Sam," she assured him.

Relief flooded through his body. "Where is she at?" _They had lied to him about her. _He knew that in his heart. He smiled tiredly.

"I walked passed her room earlier. She was giving Leoben a piece of her mind. You're safe for now. I'll be back soon and we'll get you out of here." She promised and then disappeared.

Anders didn't know if it had been a dream or not. "She's alive. Kara's alive," he whispered to himself. He tried to rise but his head swam at the attempt and he fell back into deep, healing slumber.

* * *

"Nothing is going on Kara," Leoben said as her pushed her on the bed, rubbing her stomach. "It's truly a miracle from God," he smiled down at her. "Like I said before Kara, it's going to be an amazing child." 

Kara froze as she remembered the dreams that she was having lately. The ones with Leoben in them. He always told her that this child was going to be an amazing child. She shook her head and glared at Leoben. "Don't touch me you frakking toaster! Plus its not even yours, I never let you near me for that to happen."

"There are many ways to impregnate a woman without having sex. Remember when I knocked you out on New Caprica. It was several minutes before Sam got there to save you."

"You sick bastard. I don't believe you. Love is the key."

"But you told me you loved me."

"I lied! I frakking lied to distract you!" She yelled back as she sprung off the bed with new strength and pushed him on the wall.

"What are you doing Kara?" He was surprise himself to see her like this. He didn't think she had it in her anymore.

"Something I have being waiting awhile to do to you." Starbuck was shining through Kara, as she was crushing his throat. Then without thinking or feeling, she heard a snap in his neck and he was no longer breathing. The two Centurions didn't even turn around when Kara let Leoben's dead body hit the ground. "That was for Sam."

The Centurions were leaving their posts when a Sharon model came up to them. "Nice work Starbuck."

Kara turned around to find Sharon right in her face. "Come to interrogate me next, huh? Let me out and I'll save you a trip to download city as Seelix puts it."

Sharon shook her head. "How about this Starbuck, I let you out and take you home, back to Galactica. You and Sam. Then Helo can beat the frak out of you two for being so careless. Apollo can scream and punch you for vanishing without a trace." Sharon let out a deep sigh. "Do you have any clue what Helo and Apollo have put me through?"

"Athena?" Kara asked.

Sharon nodded in return. "The Old man sent me after you two have been missing for two days. It took me two weeks to find this basestar. We have to hurry I don't think Sam is going to last much longer, Kara."

"Wait… wait you said that Sam is here. They told me that he died. Wh… What's wrong with him?" Kara asked as Sharon pulled on her arm to come with her.

Sharon put her finger to her lips as she led Starbuck out into the corridor. They slipped down one and then three others until they stopped beside a closed door. "Kara what I'm about to show you is not pretty. Sam's inside, he was shot in the leg, and the infection festered. He's been tortured too for information on Galactica and Earth. They almost lost him due to the raging infection but at the moment he'd stable. They just don't have the drugs to help him. He needs to be back on Galactica." Sharon warned her.

Kara nodded as she opened the door, her heart was in her throat at what she'd found within. The room was dimly lit and Sam lay on a bed at the far wall. He was lying so still that it frightened both women as they entered. His face was pale and sweat slackened, the only spots of color in his face were the bright red of his cheeks that showed clearly just how ill he was. The smell was awful in the room. Sam looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks. Kara gagged as she almost threw up. She eventually got used to the smell and flew over to him and sat at his side. He gave a grunt of pain but didn't wake.

"Sam?" Her voice called out to him. "My gods…" was all that manage to escape her lips. She had seen many horrendous things with her military career but nothing had prepared her for this.

* * *

Sam was dreaming of Kara. Holding her in his arms in their bedroom. Kara was farther along with her pregnancy. Both of them smiling when the baby kicked hard against their hands. _Please don't wake me from this dream._ He wanted so badly to open his eyes just to see her, touch her hand, to hold her once again. But some how he didn't think that was possible anymore.

* * *

"Sam please open your eyes and let me know that you are still here. Please." Kara begged as she stroked his burning hot cheek with her hand. "You're safe now, it's okay. I'm here now and I'm not going to let anything else happen to you. We are going home, so you need to wake up."

* * *

** And as always please review. I really want to know what you think.**


	16. Unexpected

**Sorry but I couldn't make this chapter any shorter than it is. I hope you enjoy it though.**

* * *

"Sam?" Her voice called out to him. "My gods…" was all that manage to escape her lips. She had seen many horrendous things with her military career but nothing had prepared her for this.

Sam was dreaming of Kara. Holding her in his arms in their bedroom. Kara was farther along with her pregnancy. Both of them smiling when the baby kicked hard against their hands. 'Please don't wake me from this dream.' He wanted so badly to open his eyes just to see her, touch her hand, to hold her once again. But some how he didn't think that was possible anymore.

_"Sam please open your eyes and let me know that you are still here. Please." Kara begged as she stroked his burning hot cheek with her hand. "You're safe now, it's okay. I'm here and I'm not going to let anything else happen to you. We are going home, so you need to wake up."_

* * *

Sam fell for it every time and every time he was crushed, but he held out hope. His glassy blue eyes slowly opened. This time he could see her in a fuzzy distorted sort of way. "Kara," he whispered. He was beyond caring if she were real or a product of his fevered imagination. 

Kara didn't know what was worse, him lying in the bed almost dying from Pneumonia or being shot in the leg and not taken care of. She scooted in closer to him on the bed, her right hand on top of his forehead while her left hand grabbed his hand. "Yes Sam its Kara. I'm here," she gently squeezed his hand to let him know that she was really here next him. He was burning up in fever, the sheets drenched in his sweat, and his body was shaking.

"I'm sorry, Kara. Gods I'm so sorry."

"Shh... Sam, it's okay. We are going to take you out of there. Babe can you sit up?" She asked just right before a wave of pain rushed to her chest. She let go of him and grab her chest, rubbing it trying to make it go away. It took a few seconds but eventually the pain eased and she was able to breathe again.

Sharon got down to Sam's other side. "We need to go now, Starbuck. The heavy Raider I brought is just down this corridor. It's not far from here but we might run into some trouble along the way."

"Kara," Sam whispered again, but Kara put her finger to his lips to quite him.

"It can wait until we are off this ship and back home. Save your breath and strength," she ran her hand down his cheek.

Sharon grabbed his arms and carefully pulled Sam up into a sitting position. "Ready?"

Kara nodded to Sharon and then looked at Sam. "You have to stay with me. No zoning out until we are on Galactica."

It was when Kara began to pull him up that he realized that she was there and with him. His eyes snapped wide open. "Is it really you?" He asked in partial disbelief.

"Yes Sam it's really me. How many times do I have to tell you?" Kara half smiled.

His hand, trembling, sought out her cheek. "You _are_ here," as he snapped back into the real world. He flashed a smile that ended in a grimace of pain. She pulled him up and he swayed dramatically before he placed a hand on the wall and took a deep breath to reorient himself with being upright.

"Come on," she paused to kiss him on his hot cheek, "let's get you out of here, and remember you have to stay with me."

"I don't plan on leaving you Kara," he said looking into her lovely eyes. Then he frowned a bit. "You're saving me yet again and just when I got even." He said ruefully feeling suddenly full of life. His arm was over her injured shoulder and they got exactly ten steps when he saw her face blanch with pain. "Starbuck!?" Then he remembered she'd been injured as well.

"I'm okay really," she lied. Anders' weight caused another wave of pain to surface which cause Kara to block out everything and anything that was happening around her.

"No, you can't do this baby. I'll end up hurting you and the..." His heart stopped as he thought of the baby. _Was it still alive? Or did the Cylons kill his child when they found out she was pregnant?_ He took his arm away from her shoulder. Trying to walk on his own was near to impossible.

"Anders! Get your collective fat ass back over here, and let me help you walk." Kara's patience had grown thin, very thin over the pass weeks dealing with Leoben. She didn't mean to yell at Sam like that, well she never meant to yell at him any time she did. It just always came out that way. "Gods Sam, I'm sorry. It's just… I guess it's…"

"Hormones." He finished her sentence.

"No! It's not me being all hormonal. I swear to the gods that when you and I get better, I'm going to kick your ass for saying that!" Kara snapped back and shot a glared up at him."

"There's my girl," he smirked. "I knew Starbuck was in there somewhere." He paused and grabbed hold of Kara's arm as they slowly walked down the corridor. "Is the baby still alive?"

Kara gritted through her teeth as a burning pain flared through her chest. "The baby is alive for now. Now come on!"

"Here Anders." To solve both of their problems with helping each other, Sharon ran from the room and took hold of Sam's shoulder and helped him walk to the Raider.

Kara was not far behind them, walking slower than usually, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. She felt weak, lightheaded and of need of rest and a vacation._ A vacation sounds so nice right now. A luxury room aboard the Rising Star with a king bed, room service and a huge bathtub to soak in._ She thought as she reached the hanger deck of the basestar.

* * *

Sam fought back the waves of nausea and blackness that threatened to overcome him as he was helped to the Raider. By the time they reached the ship, he was lucky to even be on his feet, but he wouldn't allow himself to succumb to the darkness, not until they were safe off the Basestar and back to Galactica. He could hardly believe that he was actually back with his wife again but he knew that she was in just as much pain as he was himself. She had been injured, he knew for the paleness of her face and the way she protected her arm and chest attested to that, but he didn't know for certain that the injury was the result of what he'd done. Sure the Six models said as much, but she wasn't exactly looking to comfort him. Still deep in the back of his mind, he knew that the shot he fired had indeed caused her injury. 

Sharon started up the Raider as Kara helped Sam down into a sitting position. "Take it easy Sam." She sat next to him and leaned her head back, taking in deep breaths as her chest was on fire again. Once this wave had gone, she was going to check out what was going on with Sam's leg.

Sam closed his eyes for a moment when he was finally able to lean up against the wall. His heart was hammering in his chest and sweat poured freely down his pale face. He knew without looking that the leg had been reopened and was freely bleeding again.

"How are we doing back there?" Sharon asked as the Raider took off and was leaving the basestar.

"I think we have been through worst on Caprica." Kara half smiled as she began to check on Sam's leg. It was bleeding and the look of it made Kara throw up.

"Kara don't just stop. We'll have Cottle look at it."

"Okay," she said wiping her face. "I'm sorry you were dragged into this."

"Kara it's not your fault." He paused and looked at her chest were she was shot. "How are you doing?" He asked before closing his eyes.

"Okay I guess." Kara leaned back on the wall and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt and stuck her hand inside of it. Simon's warning flashed through her mind, telling her that she needed to take it easy until the wound had fully healed. She placed her hand on top of the stitches, feeling to make sure she didn't rip them again. They felt fine but that didn't mean a thing. Pulling her hand back out she didn't see her hand covered in blood or feel herself split back into an unconscious state.

Sam opened still fever glazed blue eyes just in time for him to see Kara slump unconscious. He grabbed for her and lay her head down gently on his lap. "Kara… Kara!" It was then that he saw the bright red stain blooming on her shirt. "Frak! Starbuck don't you dare think about doing this to me now!" He ripped the cloth open and pressed his hand against the stained bandaging.

"Sam?" Sharon called out.

"Athena!" Sam yelled back. "Starbuck is bleeding, I need help!" He frantically looked around for a medical kit, finding one close to hand. He quickly opened it and grabbed a roll of gauze pressing it against the wound, his own bleeding forgotten in his fright for his wife and child.

"She's just going to have to hold on. We're about to jump then we will be aboard Galacitca in two minutes." Sharon made the jump to Galactica and brought them back home. She got on the wireless. "Athena / Galactica.

Dee came over the wireless. "Galactica / Athena. Go ahead Athena."

"I found Starbuck and Anders. I need a medic team."

"Medic team is on the way and will be there when you land Athena."

Less than a minute later Sharon landed her Raider and hopped out of the hatch."I need a medic team in here!"

Lee came running from the CIC to the hanger deck as fast he could along with Helo.

"Who is it?" Lee asked. "Which one is it?" _Please be Sam, please be Sam._

"It's Starbuck and Anders. We can't stop Kara's chest from bleeding and Sam's leg is infected. Hurry and get Cottle down here Helo!" Sharon yelled at her husband.

"He's on his way Sharon." He yelled back.

Lee, Helo and Sharon headed back into the Raider. Lee knelt down in front of Kara and looked toward Sam as he still had her head in his lap. "Let me have her Anders."

Sam nodded. "Please hurry Lee. She's lost a lot of blood since we left. I… I can't lose her again."

"She'll be fine." Lee grabbed Kara, cradled her in his arms and brought her out of the Raider to set her down on the gurney. He leaned in close to her ear as the medic team wheeled her towards sickbay. "Don't leave me Kara. I need you. Don't you dare die like this." Before leaving the hanger deck Lee left Kara's side to help Anders onto his gurney.

* * *

Kara had gone into cardiac arrest a few minutes after Lee left her side and was being rushed into sickbay with Doc Cottle by her side. The sound of the heart monitor counting out Kara's uneasy heartbeats could be here clearly through the ship. There were a few scary moments were Kara's heart did stop but Cottle managed to bring her back both times. 

The Cylons didn't fix her up like Cottle had hope. He performed another surgery on her and fixed the problem that was making her heart give out. Since Starbuck was one of his least favorite patients, he gave her an extra bonus on making the scar no bigger than a fine line down the side of her chest so she wouldn't bitch at him later.

After her surgery she was placed in the ICU for two reasons. One being her heart; it still hadn't found its normal rhythm yet. The other was the baby; Cottle was afraid that she might have a miscarriage with all the stress on her body.

* * *

When Cottle was done with Kara, he moved on to Anders. _Boy was he a mess. _His whole leg was infected and didn't even look like the Cylons had tried to help him at all. Amputation was not needed but antibiotics and physical therapy were his orders. 

Anders had undergone surgery as well so that the Doc could remove both the bullet that had been lodged in his leg, up against an artery that was close to penetrating it and if it had, Sam would have bled to death in short order and the infection from the bullet. It was so bad and he had to go in and scrape out as much of the infection as he could. He'd get the rest with the medication, but he feared that the young man's athletic career was over. He'd probably never play professionally again.

Sam was still fighting fever when he awoke hours later. He remembered Cottle saying that Starbuck had gone into cardiac arrest and Sam fought to stay with her. It was then that he was injected with a sedative and next thing he remembered was waking up lying where he was in sickbay hooked up to all sorts of wires, the soft beeping of a monitor keeping track of his heartbeats.

Cottle entered and checked on the young man. "You and your little wife are becoming regulars here Anders," he said gruffly, "and before you ask, she's fine. Going to be out of action for a while but both her and junior are going to be fine."

Anders breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods."

* * *

Three days later Kara was brought out of the ICU and placed into the cubicle next to Anders. The only thing separating them was a curtain. She hadn't woken up from her surgery which had Cottle worried but at least her heart rate was back to normal. Cottle told everyone that she was in a slight coma. She could feel and hear everything that was happening around her, but couldn't respond. She had quite a few visits in the ICU from Anders, Helo, Athena, and the Old man but she had more after she was out of ICU. Hours after she was placed in the cubicle, she heard the soft beeping of her heart monitor and two men screaming when the other won a hand of Triad which was sinking slowly into her mind. 

"Full colors!" The voices turned out to be Anders laughing at Helo on the other side of the curtain. She opened her eyes, the room was bright and it took her eyes sometime to just.

"You play as dirty as Starbuck. Has she been giving you lessons?"

"Shh... You're going to wake her up. She needs her rest." Sam said as he placed his finger to his lips.

Kara found herself in a curtained off room in sickbay. "Sam?" No response.

"Sam, she's still in a coma. She's not going to wake even if Leoben was standing right next to her." Right when those words left his mouth, he knew they were the wrong thing to joke about.

"That's not even funny Karl." Sam growled back.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Sam?" Kara asked again a little bit louder this time. Once again she didn't get a response from him, but Helo and Sam did get quieter on the other side. Carefully she grabbed the pillow from behind her head and threw it at the curtain. "Hey!"

The curtain flies open and Helo pops his head in. "Well hey there little miss sunshine. Finally chose to come back to the land of the living I see."

"Frak you."

"I let Sharon do that." He laughed.

"So what? There's a game and no one invited me?" She quietly asked and then started coughing heavy.

"Hey take it easy Starbuck. You are human after all and not some sort of god." Anders added in. He wasn't supposed to be up out of bed but not even Helo was going to stop him from going ten feet over to see his wife. He hobbled over to her pale faced and trembling at the effort, but smiling as he drew back the curtain and settled himself carefully in the chair at her side. "Hey there beautiful," he said taking hold of her hand and brushing a kiss on the back. He couldn't easily reach her lips and it looked as through she were still half asleep. "You gave me a scare Kara."

In fact he'd been like a lunatic trying to see her when she came out of surgery that Cottle had to drug him just to get him to stay put. It made Sam angry that they resort to such tactics, however Sam was stuck. He wasn't allowed _technically that is_ to even be up and about just yet and Cottle had already told him that they would both be his guests for at least the next few days. Cottle had been concerned that Sam's fever still hung on albeit much more controllable than before but still the infection was a hard one to knock out.

"Did I? What did I do?" She smiled before placing her hand over her mouth to cover her yawn. Kara slowly turned her head as the pain killer seemed to be wearing off. Feeling as if a Viper was sitting on her chest and her mind was covered in a thick goo. "Oy," she groans, "so how long are we stuck in this rat trap?" Her breathing was still a sore rattle, but it could be much, much worse. Her chest hurt like hell, but at least she was in the best medical unit in the fleet.

"Not long." Sam answered.

Kara was on her way to sit up, but felt a firm hand pressing her back down.

"You are supposed to stay in bed," she heard Sam say.

"Who said anything about getting out of bed? I just want to sit up and straighten out my back. It's killing me. Not to mention that I'm starving. Are you going to let your pregnant groggy wife starved to death? "Kara asked before looking over to Sam.

"There's my girl. I would be afraid if we left Starbuck behind on that basestar," he grinned at Kara.

"Frak you. I'll give you a piece of Starbuck real soon if you don't stop that."

"Please!" He begged as his grin grew wider before he planted another kiss on Kara's hand.

"What are you doing out of bed?" She asked huskily as she mouth ran dry.

"What? Am I not allowed to be near you now?" Anders asked as he helped her sit up by propping a few pillows behind her back before dropping a proper kiss to her pale lips, and then he poured a cup of water for her and helped her drink it.

"Well I do seem to get shot or kidnapped with you around." She joked.

"I want you to do what the doc tells you," he said sternly yet lovingly. He put a hand on her belly. "The baby is fine but Cottle wants you to rest and make sure that he stays that way. I plan on telling my son one day that his mother saved my life more than once," Sam frowned then. "You always seem to be dragging my ass out of some sort of trouble. I thought that was my job."

Kara placed her hand over Sam's on her stomach, then looked up at him eyebrow raised. "He... him... your son? That's going to be a shocker for _her_. When her father keeps on calling her a boy. Well what ever it is, when _he_ screams, cries, and throws a fit _he's_ going to be just your child. But when _she's_ happy and cheerful she'll be mine." She started laughing before it was difficult to breathe. Once she managed to catch her breath, Kara continued on. "I didn't see anywhere in the marriage manual that the husband's job is to keep their wife's asses out of trouble."

Sam smiled but was ignoring his own body's signals that he needed to be back in bed as well. Sweat beaded along his upper lip and his temples, his arms were beginning to shake at the little tasks he performed for Kara and his head span slowly at any kind of quick movement.

Kara paused and studied Sam closely. "Sam are you okay? You don't look well." She noticed that even his hair was wet from sweat and his body was shaking. "Helo! Helo put Sam back in the bed and get Doc," she ordered.

"You heard Starbuck." Helo helped Sam up and out of the chair, pretty much dragging him over to his bed.

"NO!" Anders made a token protest while Helo helped settle him back in his bed. He hated being so helpless! He wanted to stay by Kara's side and make sure that she was going to be alright. She must have seen that on his face.

"I'm going to be just fine and stop acting like a fool and getting some rest."

Sam threw her a look that said a myriad of things most of which that he loved her. His eyes were slipping closed against is will. He caught Helo's hand. "Make sure she rests as well," he said falling asleep almost as he spoke.

Once Helo managed to place Sam all the way back in the bed, he quickly ran out to go and get Cottle.

* * *

Sam's fever spiked to higher levels and Cottle put him into a drug induced coma just so he would get the rest he needed to fight off his infection. While that was happening Kara become very depressed and stopped eating. Which then was putting her life and the life of her child both at risk.

* * *

**Please review. Thanks!**


	17. It's true

After three days of starving herself, Cottle forced Kara to eat and made sure that she did eat all of her meals. Then two days passed and she was shoved out of sickbay since she was healing a lot faster than any gun shot wound Cottle had seen before plus she made two nurses cry. All Kara wanted was them to leave her alone and have them stop touching her stomach since there was now a small hump.

"You'll be the first to know when Sam was awake." Cottle told her as she left sickbay.

But that didn't mean that she didn't like to spend her nights alone in Sam and hers bedroom. For the past week she fell asleep in a chair next to him, hunched over, resting her head on Sam's bed as she held his hand. And every night Cottle would catch her doing this and sent her back to her quarters.

"And what if you can't find me?" She asked.

"Captain you have only two places that you go too. Sam's bed here and the mess for food. When was the last time you took some time for yourself?"

"I can't remember."

"Then do us all a favor and get the frak out of our hair for two hours and get some sleep or food. You need to start taking care of not only yourself but your child as well."

Kara scoffed and turned to walk out of sickbay.

* * *

The rest of day after Kara took a shower, changed her clothes, got something to eat she was bored out of her mind. She had nothing else to do, so she brought Sharon back to Sam's cubicle and talked as she watched him sleep. Half of the time Kara was making fun of him. 

"I was thinking of playing a joke on him once he woke up. But I don't think I can keep a straight face. I mean look at him, Sharon. He's starting to look like a lumberjack or caveman to me." Kara said as she rubbed the bottom of Sam's face.

"I say more caveman than anything. I would shoot Helo if he looked like that." Sharon replied before taking a sip of water.

A moan makes the two women suck in their breath and jump in their seats. Sam stirs and turns his head towards them. His eyes drift open slowly.

When his eyes land on Kara, she smiles. "Mornin', Gorgeous. Oooh let me rephrase that. Mornin', Death Warmed Over. How's the fever?"

Anders blinked hard trying to shake the fog that muddled his thinking. "Hey there beautiful," he whispered, throat dry and hoarse from disuse. He didn't know he'd been out of it for so long but he felt sore and stiff. "What the hell happened?" He asked.

"I was hoping I was gonna be the one to tell you," she practically jumps up from her chair and leans over Sam with a worried look on her face. "It's been over two weeks since Sharon rescued us from the basestar. Doc did everything he could… but the vasectomy didn't go as planned. I'm afraid their gone."

Sharon breaks the silence, spraying her water everywhere as she laughed. Kara tries to hold in her laugh but it manages to bursts its way out.

"Who is gone?" Then it clicked in his head. "Vasectomy?!" His blue eyes popped wide open and he practically shot straight upright.

"Whoa pal, she's having you on." Helo said as he walked in glaring at the two girls but couldn't quite keep the light of humor out of his eyes. "Hell of a thing to tell a guy upon waking from a coma."

"Well he should get one after what he is putting me through, but that coma made me change my mind." Kara said as she sat back in her chair.

"Coma?" He asked confused. "Right," he rolled his eyes and reached over for a glass of water.

Kara, grinning poured him a cup and held it to his lips. "Better?" She asked when he indicated that he had enough.

"Yeah, are you putting me on again? A coma?"

"This time we're not. You gave us all quite the scare Anders. Your fever spiked quite high so Doc Cottle put you in a drug induced coma. So you're on the mend, seems that the combination of antibiotics he has you on now is doing the trick." Kara explained.

"Damn," he said rubbing a hand over his unshaven hairy face and he grimaced. "I feel like I need a shower and a shave."

"Yeah Kara and I were just talking about that." Sharon said while finishing her water. "We were wondering if you look more a caveman or lumberjack," she grinned at him.

"What did you decide?" Sam asked as he looked over at Kara.

"Caveman, definitely caveman." Kara replied leaning over him and giving him a kiss.

"Mmm should I keep this then? I could put you over my shoulder and drag you off to my cave and have my way with you," he said eyes sparkling.

Kara playfully slapped. "We'll talk about that later."

"That wouldn't be at all advisable at least until you can walk again." Cottle's rough voice cut into the conversation. "Glad to see you're finally awake. The infection is all but eradicated but you're going to have a long road of rehab ahead of you young man." He sounded so serious that made both Sam and Kara look up at the man.

"There is something you're not saying." Sam observed softly. "Give it to me straight Doc."

All the laughter was sucked out of the room. Sharon and Helo left the cubicle to give Kara and Sam some privacy alone with Doc Cottle, but they waited at the door for Kara. No one spoke and Sam's facial expression grew from worried to angry.

Kara glances up briefly at Doc Cottle who shakes his head insistently. "Don't frakkin' shake your head at me. Tell him!" She's starting to panic, but she beat Doc Cottle to the punch. "Sam there is something. But don't worry everything is going to be fine, just like it was before all of this happened." Kara didn't even have the heart to tell him the truth.

"Kara spit it out." Sam demanded.

All through their marriage Kara hated keeping secrets from Sam or even lying to him. But this one she wished she could keep from him, knowing that he would hate her for telling him. She lowered her head down and let out a soft sigh. "There's a ten percent chance that you will be able to play Pyramid at a professional level again. Your knee is so screwed up that another injured to …" Kara choked on her words as her stomach lurches. She covered her mouth, and ran out of the cubicle.

Sharon and Helo spot Kara coming out. Helo notices that face and grabs the small trash can right next to him, holding it under her chin as she threw up in it. "You okay Starbuck?"

Kara nodded. "Yeah fine, just tired."

"Let us take you home and put you to bed." Helo places his hand on the small of her back and he and Sharon led her out of the sickbay.

* * *

Sam jerked up at Kara's hasty exit. 

"She'll be okay." Cottle assured him.

"Do you mean to tell me that I've all but lost the ability to play?" Sam asked wanting confirmation.

"I'm sorry. There isn't anything we can do short of knee replacement if we had the materials, which we don't and you wouldn't want that as young as you are. That would kill any chance of playing professionally. What you need to do as soon as we get this infection totally cleared up and the healing well established is get you into rehab ASAP." Cottle said.

"What about the Marines? Hell Doc, I only just got in. What will this do there?"

"Well Lieutenant, you're on stand down for at least a month, perhaps more depending on how hard you work, but bear in mind that you most likely won't regain either the strength or range of motion you had before."

Stunned, Sam sat back staring at the older man. "So what do I need to do?"

Cottle pulled out a syringe, "You need to rest now. We'll talk about this later," he said as he grabbed Sam's IV and injected him with morphine to help him through the night.

* * *

The next morning Kara returned to Sam's cubicle. Helo and Sharon had taken her back to her quarters last night to clean up but she was too tired to make the trip back to sickbay. Lately she was too tried to do anything but sit around all day or sleep. She felt guilty that she left him alone all night. He probably needed it though to clear his mind and focus on what he needed to do. She pulled back on the curtain only to find him asleep, dead asleep. She quietly pulled the chair over to him and sat down to hold his hand. 

"I'm going to help you through this. The first time I injured my knee, I didn't have anyone to push me along. The second time, well I had Lee and Tigh but they were more of a pain in my ass, but they were the ones that got me out of my bed and back on my feet."

Kara paused as she felt someone resting their hand on her shoulder.

"I remember being at your side like this, giving you a similar lecture too. So I'm still a pain in the ass or are we over that now?" Lee smiled down at her and then it vanished.

"What are you doing here Lee?" Kara shot up in her chair and pushed Lee out of the cubicle. "I'm still not talking to you."

"Kara drop it. I'm here as a friend."

"Right," Kara smirked.

"We were once attached to the hip. Remember?"

Kara sighed and paced the small room. "Yeah I remember, but that was along time ago."

"Then you went and married _him_ and I hated you for that." Kara was about to punch him but Lee continued. "But then you were taken I couldn't hate you anymore. I was scared that I wouldn't see you again. I miss you. I miss our friendship."

"But could you ever forgive me?"

Lee sighed and rocked on his heels. "I forgave you a long time ago."

* * *

There was a low toned conversation that buzzed through his head. Sam Anders was shaking off the sedatives that Cottle was fond of giving him, but he knew that he'd get no sleep without them as much as he hated to admit it. He awoke very slowly willing his eyes to open. Finally after what seemed hours to him, he glanced about his little curtained off area. He could have sworn he heard Starbuck's voice. 

"... said he won't ever play professionally again. Told him that there was a small chance, but Doc didn't want to crush his hopes entirely." Kara said.

"What are you going to do?" That was Apollo's voice, Sam thought, his brain struggling to keep up with the conversation. He moved his head to look through the crack in the curtain and he saw Kara and Lee standing outside his cubicle.

"I don't know Lee." Kara paused and placed her hand over her mouth.

"You okay?" Lee was out of the loop that Kara was pregnant. "Chest pain again?"

Kara half scoffed and laughed. "Is that a new term for morning sickness? Chest pain? More like pain in the ass."

It took a while but eventually Lee's eyes flew wide open. "You're pregnant?! But I thought… I thought Cottle said that you couldn't…"

"I'm sorry Lee but I have to go."

"Kara…."

"Yes Lee."

"When did this happen?"

"On New Caprica." Lee's eyes popped open. "It's not a hybrid if that's what you're thinking. Let's just say Sam and I had other ways of celebrating when he found me alive on New Caprica before Galactica came back." With that Kara walked back in to be with Sam.

* * *

Sam's stomach clenched. He knew he didn't have anything to worry about in his wife's relationship with Lee Adama, but there was something in her tone that gave him pause. For a reason he didn't understand, he closed his eyes quickly when he heard the curtain being gently pushed aside and someone, he kinda thought it was Kara, took a seat. He took a deep breath and pretended that he was just waking up. He turned his head to find Kara there; Lee was no where in sight. 

Not knowing that her eyes were still moist from almost crying when she was talking with Lee, she looked down at Sam. _Damn Hormones _she thought to herself. She was going to let them fall, but she had to be strong. Not only for herself but for Sam too, she had to be strong for both of them at the same time.

Kara smiled as Sam looked up at her. "Hey there stranger," she kissed him on the forehead and played with his dark hair. She's glad for once in weeks that he didn't wake up sweating in fever.

"Hey baby, my beautiful little wife."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Trying to gain points on sweeting me up?"

"Is it not working?" He asked as he tried to find a comfortable spot on the bed. "So what's going on today?"

"You ready for your big day? Of course we are going to take it slow, but I think you should be excited. A real shower, get all freshen up, oh and a nice little shave?" Kara rubbed the bottom of his chin and laughed. "So once you have had some breakfast and I come back, we will get you out of here."

Getting up from her seat, Kara let go of his hand to steadily herself. "I have a few things to do. Turn in some reports, run to the pilot's ready room and plan an Op with Lee, and then I think I'm done. I should be only a few hours, and then once I come back we can start. Cottle I think is releasing you today if I heard correctly."

The room swam dangerously that she had to grip the side of the bed to keep from falling down. Kara shakes it off as just simple fatigue and acts like nothing is wrong.

"Kara? Are you alright?" He asked taking hold of her arm when she swayed. "Doc!" He called out and ordered her to sit down.

"I'm fine Sam," she protested.

"Sit your ass down Kara Anders, now!" He growled at her. "I know you missy. You've been here not getting enough sleep, not eating right and working too hard. Doc!" He called out again.

"Sam, really, I'm just a little tired."

"Exactly!"

"What is all the noise in here?" Cottle demanded entering.

"Starbuck is unwell. She almost fell on her ass just from standing up."

Kara rolled her eyes at Sam then looked over at Cottle. "Like I told Anders, I'm fine. I just got up to fast and lost my balance." She scowled at Cottle but looking intently at both men.

"When was the last time you ate something?" Cottle asked before he lit a cigarette.

"Do you mind?" Kara snapped back at the doctor pointing down to her stomach. "I don't need to be breathing that stuff in." Kara paused to take a deep breath. "I had breakfast this morning but just threw it up before I got here. This," she pointed again to her stomach raising her voice just a little louder, "isn't helping me. I can't keep anything down anymore."

"That's the price of being pregnant."

"I'll make a deal with you, Doc. If I feel dizzy or lightheaded again, I'll call Helo, Athena, Hot Dog or Apollo and have them bring me straight here. Okay?" She didn't even wait for his answer or his permission to leave and was out of the door.

* * *

Cottle turned to look straight at Sam and smirked. "I thought she was worse before but now," he laughed, "you proved me wrong. I'll give her something to make her sleep tonight, and then you can deal with her. I'll be back in an hour to check on you, get you out of that bed and get your wife out of my hair." 

Cottle pulled the curtain open some more to let his assistance through to place Sam's breakfast on his tray. "Hungry?"

Sam grimaced at the food, if it could be called that, they were on this terrible tasting processed food and it made Sam feel quite sick when he ate it. "Thanks but no thanks," Anders said, he wasn't hungry in the least. "I just want to get a shower and get out of here, okay? He was worried about Starbuck, even though it was like her to insist she was fine when he could tell very well that she wasn't.

"I'm sorry sir, but you do have to eat something." Cottle's assistant said setting the tray on the table and sliding it over to where Sam could reach it easily.

He ignored it but drank the large glass of juice.

Cottle returned thirty minutes later and frowned at his patient. "Don't you know that there is a food shortage?"

"Then by all means give this to someone else." Sam replied unphased by the doctor's biting tone.

"_You_ need to eat that Anders and get your strength back."

"Look Doc, that stuff turns my stomach alright? What good will it do me if I can't stomach it to begin with?"

"Anders? You giving Cottle trouble?" Helo asked as he entered Sam's little cubicle. Sam gave his friend a smile and shook his hand. "Came to tell you that Starbuck will be along shortly. She having another catfight with Apollo and Hot Dog. She's winning I think." He smiled and sat down in the chair next to Sam.

Anders frowned. "I want her resting. She was injured too or doesn't she remember that?"

"Good luck on that one my friend." Helo gave Sam a look that said that had been tried already and failed.

"That is going to have to wait." Cottle stated as one of his helpers arrived to take Sam to the showers and assist him.

It was another hour before an exhausted Sam was returned, showered and shaved, his dark hair brushed back and very sore after his first physio session.

* * *

_Earlier before Helo came to check on Sam_

Kara was still stuck in the Op room with Apollo, Hot Dog, Helo and Athena planning on how they were going to get what they had left of food to the rest of the fleet. The room was silent as the five of them thought of a plan. About every ten minutes the silence was broken from someone empty stomach making sounds. Kara's was the one that didn't the most out of all of them and had to remind them of their jobs and to stop laughing at her. Starbuck, Apollo and Hot Dog were butting heads so Helo and Athena left.

"That's the stupidest idea I have heard out of your mouth yet Apollo." Kara screamed.

"Well your out of the box thinking is just as bad. And just because you're pregnant doesn't give you the right to call me stupid." Lee spat out quickly.

Hot Dog wasn't paying attention to the fight between Kara and Lee and continued to draw on his papers.

Kara smirked and placed her hand on her chest. "You're just jealous Lee that you can't thing of anything better."

Lee threw his head back and laughed. "Jealous? Ah I don't think so."

"Just admit it Apollo."

"Whatever Kara. I'm not going to fight with a pregnant woman."

"Are you afraid that you might lose?"

That time Hot Dog's head shot up from his papers. "Who's pregnant? Starbuck?" He laughed. "Now that's funny."

Kara grabbed the back of Hot Dog's head and slammed it down on the desk. Then grabbed the papers and threw them in Apollo's face and stormed out of the room heading to sickbay. 'Think of something better." She screamed down the corridor.

Hot Dog recovered from the slam and looked at Apollo. "Is she serious? She's really pregnant. Who's the father?"

Lee glared at Hot Dog. "Sam's the father you idiot." But in the back of Lee's mind he wanted it to be his.


	18. Disagreements

Once in sickbay, the place was quiet, too quiet. Cottle pulled Kara over to the side. "I thought I told you…"

"And I told you I was fine. Now how is he?" She tilted her head towards Sam's cubicle as she crossed her arms.

"He's doing well, so well that I'm giving you a present. You are to take him and never return unless it's for your check ups on that baby of yours." Cottle said in his raspy voice, pointing at her stomach. "And I mean it. Your next appointment is in three weeks and I don't what to see you until then."

"Come on Doc. What are you telling me that you don't like us as your patients? Are we too much to handle?" Kara smiled and quickly left his side.

Sam was dead asleep on his gurney so she pulled up her chair to his bed and watched him. It took her awhile to notice that he looked clean. He was showered, shaved, and his hair was even washed.

"Much better. I knew my Sammy was here somewhere covered up by that caveman taking his place." She laughed to herself as she woke him up. "Hey there stranger, welcome back to the land of the living. Ready to go home?"

He took a deep breath and opened his sapphire blue eyes. "Hello yourself beautiful, did you get any rest?" He asked knowing even before he opened his mouth what the answer was. He pulled himself up and took hold of her hand to pull her onto the side of the bed. "You need to take care of yourself sweetheart." He laid a hand against her cheek and gazed into her lovely hazel eyes.

"I am Sam. What are you my mother now too?" She smirked.

"Kara, I love you. You know that right?" He said sincerely and then his fingers trailed over her shoulder to the center of her chest where her healing wound lay under her shirt.

"I know," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"I was terrified when I saw you go down. All that blood, the monitor counting out your heart rate. I don't want to go through that again. I need and want the both of you." Sam said softly his hand swept gently down to rest on her stomach.

"And you still have the both of us. Just try not to shoot me again and we won't leave you." Kara watched as Sam's hand lightly ran over her small hump on her stomach. She jerked back as his hand found its way under her shirt and was touching bare flesh. "Knock it off. I want to get out of here and relax for once in weeks. And just to let you know, the two of us are doing fine. Never better, plus I'll be sleeping much better in a warmer bed." She grabbed the corner of Anders' blanket and ripped it off. "On your feet soldier and let's move."

"Yes, Sir!" Sam did a mock salute and laughed.

Kara grabbed both of Sam's hands and pulled him over to the edge of the bed. "Now just take it easy. I know it will hurt but we'll take it slow." She pulled him complete off the bed and had him standing on both feet. She heard him groan just a bit and she laughed. "About time there's some pay back for what you are putting me through the next six and a half months. Your pain now is my entertainment."

"I'm glad you find this so amusing," he bit out at the pain the weight on his injured leg caused but it was a different pain than when he was so ill. He knew that the wound was healing. He only hoped that when all was said and done, he'd be able to resume his life in the manner he had always believed.

Sam wanted to be able to play with his children like his father had with them, he wanted to play Pyramid just as he used to and he wanted to be able to chase Kara around the house. _In whatever form that may be_. He didn't know if he'd survive being a cripple. It was the one thought that truly scared him even throughout his professional sports career. There had been the risk of a devastating injury that would end his career, but Sam had been very lucky and was only injured a few times and never severely.

Not until now that is. Still he was determined to bounce back and show Cottle just how strong he was and that he would be playing Pyramid again, chasing after his kids and wife and doing all the things he loved. Cottle had left him a pair of crutches and after he spent a few moments learning just how to use them, he and Kara headed back to their quarters.

Kara was smiling the whole way back to their quarters, studying closely at Sam's crutches, noticing that they were the ones she had once used over two years ago. She walked behind Sam catching him ever time he miscalculated a step. He seemed determined to do this all on his own, maybe it was for his pride or his defeat, she didn't know. All she knew was that he couldn't do this alone. It took the couple well over ten minutes to walk back to their quarters.

Once inside, Kara closed the hatch to their private quarters and watched as Sam's slowly walked over to their bed. She was exhausted once again but she had things to do but most of it could wait for another day. Sitting on the bed she ran her fingers through Sam's dark hair. "How's the leg?"

Sam let out a relieved sigh to get off his feet. Walking on crutches was a whole lot harder than he'd thought; he was breathing hard with the effort. Kara gently settled him into their bed even though that was really the last place he wanted to be. He took hold of her by the waist and pulled her against his side. "You worry much too much," he said reaching up to gently trace his fingers over her cheek.

"I've got a few things to do around here. So feel free to crash if you want to. Get some sleep as I take a shower." She leaned in closer to him. "Then I will be right back, okay?"

"I would rather you crawl in here with me and rest." He murmured, his blue eyes growing warm as he touched her and breathed in her scent. "I missed you do much Kara."

Kara let out a soft moan as Sam drew small circles on her thigh. He always knew how to distract her. "I miss you too, but I'm not crawling in there with you," Kara pointed to the bed, "I smell like the hanger deck, Viper fuel, grease, sweat and more. Plus I need to change my bandages and clean my wound. I'll take a five minute shower and I will be right back and then I will crawl in there with you."

Maybe the heat of the water could ease some of the tension that was ever present along her shoulders and back. Not that it ever worked anymore. There was too much tension there to begin with and it kept on building. Kara grabbed Sam's hand that was still resting on her cheek, kissed the back of it and placed it back on the bed.

* * *

Turning around she walked into their small bathroom in their quarters. More time was spent staring in the mirror at her reflection, and then she took off the bandage on her chest. Though it was small scar, it was an ugly jagged thing and it still hurt a little. When it doesn't hurt it itches and drives her crazy.

She leaned on the back wall and the once strong wall she built up inside of her since she was shot, broke down and crumbled. Kara felt the burning tears escape her eyes as they fell down her face and she let out a few sobs and snuffles with them too. _Sam didn't mean to do this. It was an accident._ The small voice in her head told her.

With tears still rolling down her cheeks, she slowly slipped out of her clothes and started the water, adjusting the temperature until it was more hot than warm. Taking a rather quick shower like she said, she turned off the shower, dried off and opened the bathroom door to let the steam clear out of the room.

Anders was dozing off and on when Kara reentered the room just in a towel. He cracked one eye and watched her as she toweled off, he winced seeing the healing wound on her chest. "Kara?" He said softly.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She asked pulling out a clear bandage to put over her scar.

"Not really." He caught a good glimpse of Kara's new scar. It looked almost as bad as his.

"Sam? What is it? You look troubled." She said before place the bandage over her scar.

"I'm sorry," he said shortly his finger tracing over the stark white bandaging over her chest. "It was my shot that did this, wasn't it?" He asked looking up into her eyes.

"Sam,"

"No, don't Kara. It was my shot." His blue eyes tortured and filled with regret.

For weeks Kara told herself Sam didn't do this to her, that some how Leoben did it to her. It was chaotic in the hanger deck that afternoon when Leoben kidnapped her again. She sat down on the edge of bed. "Sam. It was an accident. Did you mean for this to happen? No, you didn't. I was upset at first but now I can't be mad at you."

Kara smirked at looked into Sam's tried azure blue eyes. "This is the second time I have been shot with you around me. I think I might just have to take your toys away from you until I drag you down to the firearms range and teach you how to use a weapon correctly." She jumped up from the bed and walked over to her side, grabbed the corner of the comforter, and slipped under it. It took her awhile to get comfortable leaning up against Sam. Trying hard to figure out a way to not touch Sam's leg, squish their unborn child, and position her arm and chest just right. "GODS!!"

"Here." Sam put his arm under her shoulder as she snuggled close careful of his leg. "Better?"

Kara nodded before breathing in his scent.

"You just want to show me up. As I recall you didn't seem to think I had a problem firing a weapon when we first met," he quipped kissing her forehead. "But I was rather impressed that you stood on that path pointing guns at me and my crew. Just think what we can tell this little one." Sam moved his hand closer to Kara's stomach as he rubbed it. "See when I met your mommy, she was staring down the barrel of a gun at me."

Kara laughed, "Yeah, just like you were. You looked so sexy crouched down like a commando, dirty and sweaty."

"You think sweat and dirt is sexy?" Sam asked. "I should save time and forego showers then," he winked at her.

"No I don't think dirt and sweat is sexy. A shower is ever important. I like a clean man to snuggle up to and not some caveman." Kara laughed and continued to play along with Sam's story as she and Sam both rubbed on her stomach. "But I do recall daddy had his rifle pointed at Uncle Karl first and mommy didn't like that. Daddy had his back turned away from mommy so she crept in to save Uncle Karl from daddy. Of course mommy assumed that daddy was a Cylon and didn't believe his story as we were still pointing our rifles and still yelling at each other."

"I just thought you and Karl were Cylon agents we haven't seen before. And thank the gods because that afternoon I fell in love with you."

Kara paused. "Gods I hope we don't have to tell our little one of Cylons. Hopefully by the time he or she understands words and the meaning of them, we will be on Earth and free from the Cylons and the war." She looked up and moved to lean over Sam. "And weren't you the one asking me for some professional advice before the farm? See you do need me to teach you. Ah! I win."

"You're such a competitor baby," Sam chuckled as he kissed her upturned face. "There is professional advice my love and there is practical experience. I think in that area I've had just as much as you have even though it was a crash course. And as far as our child goes, that is my fervent hope as well. I don't want them to grow up on board a spaceship. I want them to roam free breathing clean fresh air and enjoying the sun. It's my hope that some day well be able to live normal lives like that."

"Do you really think so?" She asked him.

He sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. "You know, I do actually. If you would have asked me six months ago, I'd have said no way. You were kidnapped and I was recovering from my sickness then I was fighting and blowing up Cylons. But now, I think maybe eventually we will."

A shiver worked along her spine as Kara's mind wandered back six months ago. She had been captured by Leoben for a month by then; she was worried and had given up hope for anyone to find her. She lowered herself back in the position she had found earlier next to Sam and placed her head on his chest. "Real air... " she yawned, "sunlight and no walls would be nice." She listened to Anders' heartbeat and felt his chest raising and falling which was slowly putting her sleep. She tried to fight it, to stay awake just in case Sam needed her for something. But the more she resisted the more she grew tired. Sam was mumbling something to her but she was already asleep.

Sam chuckled softly as he realized that Kara had fallen asleep. He himself wasn't that sleepy but he loved finally being able to hold her against him again as she slept. His hand gently caressed her blond hair. He couldn't believe at times that she was his. He loved her with his whole heart and soul and would do anything for her to protect her and the baby.

A smile crossed his face as he thought of the child she carried. He had never thought that he'd become a father; he never thought that he'd get married to begin with. The life of a professional athlete was hectic. He was hardly in one place for long enough to form any kind of meaningful relationship. Oh sure he had tons of fans and girls falling all over themselves to attract his attention, but they weren't what he wanted in a life-long companion. Kara was. Sam took a breath and allowed his body to relax and soon he too was asleep.

* * *

Kara woke up several hours later to a light pressure on her side. Sam's arm was like dead weight on her stomach as he moved in closer to her in his sleep. She slowly turned over to face him, catching a glance of the clock on the wall. _How in the world did I manage to sleep in so late?_ It was 0800. Since her flight status was revoked she noticed that she was becoming more and more laid back. 

Kara sighed and watched Anders' sleep peacefully for the first time in a long time. After an hour of watching him, she slipped from under his arm and got up from the bed. Quietly she pulled out a chair from under the table and sat in it. Adama wanted her to finish planning that Op for Apollo. And speaking of Lee, her hatch opens and his head pops in.

"Starbuck I need ..." he began to talk until Kara shushed him.

"Don't you knock? Outside," she pointed to the hatch as she got up from her chair and followed him out.

Sam stirred when the hatch opened and a male voice boomed through the silent room. He cracked an eye seeing Kara head out with Lee. A frown crossed his lips; he had figured it was something to do with the mission he was planning with her.

Kara stepped outside, leaving the hatch open. She checked in periodically on Sam as Lee and her talked about the up coming plans of being the security team for Laura Roslin on the Rising Star.

Sam turned his head noting the time. He started to rise then stopped. After all, what was he going to do? Go jogging or something? Not with the way his leg was feeling at the moment. It was aching something fierce. He was determined to ignore it, but fifteen minutes later when Starbuck reentered their room, his lips were pressed together hard and little white lines of pain were etched about his mouth and sweat beaded across his brow in the effort it took him to fight the pain.

"Sam? What it is?" She asked him noticing at once that he was awake an in some sort of distress.

"N-nothing," he replied a bit shortly closing his eyes again.

Usually Kara was the bitchy one in the morning, but not today. Sure Sam's hopes and dreams where crushed everyday he was lying down on his back. Slowly approaching Sam's side of the bed and sat down on the edge. "Sam," she glared down at him, "what's wrong with you? Look if it's about the leg," she sighed, "It's going to heal and you will be back to the old Sam soon."

"Yeah right," Sam scoffed and looked away.

"Well with that attitude... yeah it's not going to happen." Kara shot up from the bed and walked over to her closet. She reached for her bag and threw it on the table in the middle of their room. "Well I guess you will have a few days to rethink your sour attitude," she snapped at Sam, grabbing her uniform and a few other clothes and shoved them into her bag.

"Where the frak do you think you're going?" He demanded pushing himself up and grimacing as pain shot through his leg. Ignoring it, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and he got to his feet, or rather foot. He balanced with one hand on the table.

"I have to go to the Rising Star. Please can we not talk about it right now."

"Just what are you thinking Kara? What business does a pregnant woman who is supposed to be on limited duty going anywhere? For I assume that you mean this little trip has something to do with the Op you and Apollo are planning. Or do I not deserve an explanation?" His blue eyes flashed in annoyance.

Kara never called Sam a stupid man, he knew her to well. "I have been put on a security team for Zarek and Roslin on the Rising Star this afternoon. It may be a day or two until I'm back. Depends on the meetings really."

Kara hated politics and never understood them and their jobs. She was probably going to find herself falling asleep in her chair as they debated over the problem with the food supply. Kara gritted her teeth harder as she glared back at her husband.

"Kara you can't. You're..."

"Pregnant or not pregnant," she yelled back, "I am still a military officer in the Colonial Fleet and I have orders to follow. They tell you shoot, you shoot. They tell you to pack your things and get on a Raptor, you do it. Adama told me that I have been chosen to be on that security team with Lee and a few others. The Old man told Lee to tell me to pack my stuff. That's why he was here earlier. Why is your ass so tight over this anyway?"

"Why? Oh gee let me see. It couldn't possibly be that you need to take it easy as you're still healing after being injured. Wait… no you're too strong to let a simple thing like a bullet hole keep you down." He said with much self disgust at his own ability to shake his off. "And I know it can't be the fact that you're pregnant and half starved and you're not taking very good care of yourself as it is. What is it Kara? Do you not want to have my child? Is that why you're determined to work yourself into a stupor every night? Do you want to terminate this pregnancy?" He asked slamming his fists on the table.

Deep down Sam knew that wasn't the case, he was just feeling that everyone around him, including his wife, were getting on with their lives and he wasn't. Samuel Anders wasn't the kind of person to just sit back and let others do what needed to be done. He had always taken charge of any given situation. This time, he couldn't. He tried the day before and failed big time. He had gotten frustrated with some of the restrictions Cottle's assistant had been placing on him so he decided against advice to stop trying to baby his leg. He got halfway across the room when he went down his leg. He got a tongue lashing from both Cottle and his assistant and was told in no uncertain terms that if he ever wanted to walk again unaided he'd better do as he was told. That had put Anders in a terrible mood and hence the reason for him lashing out at Kara, that and the drugs Cottle insisted on giving him for pain. He finally had to break down and take one last night just so he could get some sleep. He hated that he was taking his bad temper out on Kara but he couldn't seem to help it.

Not caring if her uniform and civilian clothes were folded or not Kara zipped up her bag. "Yeah that's it Sam. You finally figured me out. Is that what you really think?" Her eyes slowly traveled from her task of her bag to Sam. "Do you think that I'm doing this on purpose? Because I'm not. Yes there are days were I wish that I didn't have responsibilities or a job so I could spend more time with you, relax, have no worries and take a luxurious bubble bath. And yes sometimes I even wish I wasn't …" she paused as a small tear rolled down her face as she let out the rest of her sentence, "… pregnant now. Then maybe just maybe you would treat me as a human being again and not some frakkin' doll. I wish I could sit down and relax but I can't. That's not who I am."

Kara grabbed the strap of her bag and threw it over her good shoulder. "It's like I'm not looking at the Sam I once knew. The Sam I married. Where he is, 'cause I miss him. I don't know what's wrong with you, but it needs to change. Your mood is ugly, you're angry all the time, and your patience has grown thin. All of this has happened ever since we got back from the Basestar." Kara got up close into Sam's face. "It's the knee isn't it? Gods damn it Sam! What, you think that you're going to be cripple for the rest of your life? You think that and yes then its going to happen." She pushed away from the table and walked over to the door about to pull it open.

"Starbuck," he began taking the few steps over to her ignoring the pain in his leg. He reached out to pull her into his arms. "I'm sorry, I know I'm being a pain in the ass. I don't want to be like this, I just can't seem to help it.

"Is that your excuse?" She snapped back at him.

"Wrong thing to say sorry, but please Kara, don't leave mad. I know you have to do what you do. I guess that is the difference between us. I'm just a civilian playing at being a soldier. I've been on my own, in charge too long perhaps. I don't take orders like you do."

Kara wasn't as angry with him as she thought she would be. But there were days were she wanted to know what went on in his head. "Orders, right," Kara snickered, "Taking orders is something that I do very well. You know what's not true." She looked over at the clock on the wall. "I'm late and Lee's not going to be happy with that. We can continue this later." She fiddled with the bag's strap on her shoulder. "I'm not leaving mad but I do want to you to think about what I said and not have it go in one ear and out the other. Sam, I love you. I love the fact that I am caring your child. But I don't have to like you right now." She grabbed the back on his head and brought his face down to hers and kissed him before she walked out of the room. Forgetting to say goodbye to him.

* * *

**Review... Review... Review Pretty Please**


	19. Depression

* * *

Down in the hanger deck, Kara approached the Raptor only to find it empty. She placed her bag down in the co-pilot seat and waited on Lee. Thinking she was late, Lee showed up ten minutes later. "I was about to leave you here and go on my own. What the frak took you so long?"

Lee didn't answer her as he put on his helmet.

"Never mind I don't want to know." Kara sat down in the back and waited for the pre-flight checking to begin. It was going to be the longest day of her life.

* * *

Trying not to be discouraged by his seeming lack of progress, Anders pushed himself harder and harder everyday until Cottle finally had to tell him that if he continued the way he was, he'd cause more damage than the initial injury. To that end, the sadistic doctor, to Sam's way of thinking, took away his mode of transportation forcing Anders to keep off his feet for two days. 

"When Starbuck returns in a few hours, you can have them back," he said taking a drag on his cigarette.

"What the frak am I supposed to do until then?" Anders demanded. He hate sitting on his ass doing nothing and he seemed to be doing that a hell of a lot lately.

"You're supposed to let that leg heal! If you don't I'll put you back in sickbay under sedation for three days. You got that Anders?"

"Right, sure thing," Sam snapped determined to do this his way. "What the frak did doctors know anyway?" He mumbled under his breath.

Kara didn't return that day.

* * *

Day three of the conference, Kara was growing tried of standing around staring at people that were wrestling back and forth on one topic. Every second that passed by meant more and more people were starving. She leaned back on the wall as she scanned the room just once more. 

"Falling asleep on the job again Starbuck?" Lee asked her over the wireless headset in her ear.

"Aren't you? I can't take this anymore Apollo. I need an eight soon. I didn't get much sleep again last night." Kara whined back to him.

"Was it the kid again?" He asked as he moved from his post.

"Yeah. I thought morning sickness was just in the morning. Not in the middle of the night," she sighed as she studied Lee closer. It was the baby and Sam that was keeping her up all night long. She tried calling Sam to see how he was but he was always out of the room when she did. "Where are you going Apollo?"

Lee walked over to Kara and stood next to her. "Sam would kill me if he saw you like this. Go back to your room and take a nap. That's an order. I'll bring in two marines to take my place as I take yours. Don't worry if there's something really exciting happens I'll give you a ring." He smiled up at Kara as he pushed Kara to the exit and into the corridor were they were staying.

* * *

It had been three long agonizing days since Kara had gone off on her mission and Sam's temper hadn't improved at all. He'd been stuck in his quarters confined to either the bunk or sitting with his leg up. He was stiff, sore, and thoroughly annoyed with anyone and everyone. Karl and Sharon had come to visit him but after biting off Sharon's head over some silly comment she hadn't been back and Karl was rather pissed that he'd upset her. He was currently visiting Sam. 

"I know what you're going through Sam, but you have to do as the doc tells you! If you persist in overdoing it, you're going to totally screw up your knee and then where will you be?" Helo raged at him. Earlier Helo entered to find Anders lying on the floor of his quarters pale from pain and hardly able to respond at first. Sam had been trying to exercise his leg when it gave out on him and down he went. Karl helped get Sam back to his bunk and against Sam's wishes, called Cottle in. He got another tongue lashing and was only saved from being stuck for the duration in sickbay by Helo promising that Sam would behave from now on.

Over the following few days, Sam fell into a bit of a depression. He missed Kara badly and he was feeling just a bit sorry for himself. He didn't shave, didn't comb his hair and barely stirred from his bunk but for pressing bodily needs. Sam's complete opposite behavioral change concerned his friends even more than his trying to over do.

* * *

Kara stumbled into her suite aboard the Rising Star. She was beyond wiped and exhausted from standing and watching for eight hours straight. Slowly peeling off her uniform jacket, she threw it on the chair in the corner of the room. She yawned as she rubbed the side of her neck. Walking over to the bathroom, she turned on the shower and started to take the rest of her clothes off. Just as she was about to jump in, there was a knock at her door. She didn't have the time or energy to throw her clothes back on, so she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her tightly. "Lee… this isn't funny…" She yanked the door completely open only to find someone else. "Helo? What are you doing here?" She asked still standing in her towel. 

"Sorry Starbuck I wish I was here with better news but…" he paused and looked away from Kara. "Uhm… can we have this talk inside Starbuck so the people in the hallway don't see you half naked pregnant body?! Though I must say it's a great look on you." He said as he heard Kara wrap her towel more tightly around her body before looking back at her.

"Karl what is it? Who died?" Kara stared into his face before walking into the bathroom to change back into her clothes and turned off the water from the shower.

"No one died Kara, its your husband," Karl told Kara as she came out of the bathroom back in her uniform. "He's depressed I think. He's not acting the same anymore. You need to come back, the Old man is sending Hot-Dog to take your place. I'm here to take you back."

Within two minutes Kara packed her belongings into her bag and handed it to Karl to carry for her. "You have to be kidding me. Depressed over what?" She asked before hopping into the Raptor as Karl started it up.

"I wish I was Kara but I'm not. I'm sorry that I had to pull you away like this."

"Don't apologize Karl, just get me home."

Other five minutes and Kara was back aboard Galactica heading to her quarters.

* * *

Sam, feeling like he was on Cottle's permanent black list, didn't know what the hell to believe anymore. One moment the crotchety man was telling him to stay off his leg and the next hounding him to be up and exercising. _Well frak him anyway!_ He wasn't feeling like obeying _anyone_ at the moment. He had been accused more than once of being a stubborn son of a bitch so be it_. Didn't he deserve to do something his way for a change?_ And he didn't feel like doing it at the moment. 

He blinked when the light turned on in the room, blinding him for a moment. "Do you frakking mind?" He growled at his intruder. "If that is you Cottle, you can just turn around and leave me the hell alone," his sleep husky voice came from the bed as he closed his eyes and drew the blanket up higher over his bared shoulders ignoring his visitor.

Kara's hand lowered from the light switch as she watched out of the corner of her eye, the covers of the bed raised and fell over Sam. She dropped her bag on the floor with a thud as she still stood in the doorway. "Excuse me?" She asked snotty as she walked over to the bed. "Hi honey would have been better than that you just delivered to me. I'm not even going to ask you how you've been. I can already tell."

She wasn't sure whether to be angry, relieved, or just apathetic. She chose the first and stormed over to the bathroom. Within the pass fifteen minutes this would have been the second time she has taking off her clothes to take a shower. She turned on the water, it was loud enough that she let out a scream that couldn't be heard. "Just frakking great!" She jumped in even before the water was warm. The cold water slowly clammed her down as she let it beat on her face and down her back and torso. She slicked her short hair back as her hands ran down her sides and stopped on her stomach. Something didn't feel right to her.

He felt bad about snapping at Kara, he really hadn't expected her back just yet. Then a thought hit him. _What if she were having problems with her pregnancy?_ Sam shoved off the covers and sat up a bit too quickly. His head swam from lack of food and movement. After a moment he rose carefully and made his way painfully to the bathroom.

"Kara?" He pushed open the door and then over to the enclosed shower. "I'm sorry babe, I didn't know you were back... are you alright?" He asked blue eyes going wide at the sight of her hands on the small hump on her stomach. "What is it?"

It took awhile for Kara to response to Sam's question. She slowly looked away from her stomach and up at him. "Hmm… what? Oh it's nothing just a little bit of morning sickness that's all."

"It's two in the afternoon Kara."

"Well your child doesn't know time yet."

"But you are okay, right?" He asked concerned for her face had gone pale.

"I'm fine really. I'm just tired, hungry and now I'm cold."

Sam stood in the entrance of the shower with the door wide open let the hot steam escape into the bedroom. She looked him up and down, he looked like he could use a shower himself. "In or out?" She stepped back into the hot water letting it warm her back up again.

Sam hesitated for just a moment before shedding his sweat pants. "Do you mind if I join you?" He asked a little shyly. He knew he looked terrible with his unshaven face and unwashed hair.

"I was hoping you would," she replied.

Naked, he stepped in the enclosure savoring the hot water beating on his skin.

Kara reached around her husband to grab the soap and sponge and began to work the lather into Sam's skin. She ran the sponge over his broad chest, over his well defined arms and down his lean stomach. "You've lost too much weight Sammy," she said.

"How many times I have I asked you not to call me that and look who's talking." He said running his hands over her waist. "You look exhausted Kara, what did they have you doing?" He asked loving the feel of her hands over his body.

Kara stopped her task of washing him and looked up at him. "The usual. Stand at your post and watch. Make sure no one looks like their up to something. One guy did act weird the first day so I asked him to leave. He put on a show until I punched him in the face and Lee forced him out of the room. That was the highlight of my trip the rest was boring. The second day was a ten hour rotation with two twenty minute breaks. So it was mainly just standing around, watching, and wait to see which of the miliarty personnel would pull out their sidearm and shoot themselves in the head. Gods it was so boring. Then today I was standing around maybe three hours and Lee sent me to my suite to take a nap."

Kara pulled him into the water letting the suds wash of his body. He seemed to be walking a lot better from the last time she saw him walk. Of course it was just three steps, maybe it was from the hot water warming up his muscles. "Actually before I came back home, I was about to take a shower and head to bed. But Helo ruined that for me when he came knocking on my door." She grabbed the bottle of shampoo and lather it up in his hair. "You didn't cause any trouble while I was gone did you? How's the leg by the way?"

His eyes slid closed in pure pleasure at the sensation of her fingers gently rubbing his scalp. He knew he needed a shave and haircut and he also had to snap out of the lethargy that gripped him. He had to take care of her.

_'Come on Anders, this isn't like you_,' that voice in his head said. '_Start being smart and you'll be just fine, you've done it before and you can again_.'

Sam gave her a half smile and a look that was practiced innocence. "Me cause trouble? What in the world would give you that impression?" He asked. "I've been held prisoner in that frakking bed for three days. As for the leg, it'll be fine," he said with determination that it would be.

Kara smiled as she let Sam wash the shampoo out of his hair. He was facing away from her, so she wrapped her arms around his chest. She ran her mouth from his shoulders and up along his neck, biting lightly. Her hands traveled from his chest and played with his ear. "Oh that's good news. Now I know what to do with you later. But do you want to leave this room now that I'm back? I missed you."

"You have no idea how much I missed you Kara," he pulled her into him and kissed her.

Reaching over to the handle, Kara turned off the shower and opened the shower door. She dripped all the way to the other side of the bathroom to grab a towel for her and Sam.

"I hate when you do that," Sam glared at the water puddles on the floor before reaching his hand out to her to receive his towel.

"It will dry like it always does." She walked back to Sam and handed him his towel. "I'll take a quick nap and then we can leave to get you out of here." She told him as she threw on one of his shirts.

"No, the only thing I want to do right now is hold you in my arms while you sleep, if you think you can handle that. I've found that I don't sleep well when you're gone," he said walking up behind her to wrap his arms about too slender waist. "You said that I've lost weight, well my love you're much too thin." Sam reached up underneath his shirt on Kara and rubbed where she was carrying their child.

Kara's head flung back on his shoulder and let out a soft moan. Just the slightest touch from him made her go crazy. "Sam…"

"What do you say to that nap, a nice long one and then I'll see what I can find to make you for dinner? You may not know this but I'm a fantastic cook providing of course that we have anything _to_ cook." He let go of Kara and hobbled his way, naked, over to their closet and pulled out a clean set of clothes. He pulled on his boxers and sat down heavily on the bunk to rewrap his knee.

"Let me see that Sam," she said kneeling at his side taking the length of bandaging out of his hands.

The wound was much less red and even though it was still a little swollen, it was looking so much better aside from the long scar he now bore due to the surgery needed to clean out the terrible infection. "You know this is looking much better than it did last week," she said softly.

Anders nodded. "Yeah, I guess I over did it a few times," he admitted. "Kara," he said stilling her hands. "I swear to you that I won't let you down. I swear it. I guess Helo saw I was feeling sorry for myself and called you back, but I'm not going to give up," he said fervently and looking as if he was going to breakdown in front of her.

Kara placed the bandage on Sam's knee and rewrapped it before helping him into bed. "Shh… It's okay. I know I know. Helo told me everything. Look it's not as bad as you are picturing it babe. After my first knee surgery that threw me out of Pyramid I thought my life was over, but I found something better to do. Everything is going to be okay as long as you put your mind to it." She stood up next to the bed, staring down at Sam before walking over to her side of the bed.

Kara remembered her father telling her something similar to that when she got the chance to visit him. He was the one that told Kara to follow her dreams and do whatever she wanted, while her mother told her she was to join the military. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

An exhausted Kara Anders grabbed the corner of the covers and pulled them down to crawl into bed. It took her awhile to get comfortable. "I'm going to help you through this, just like you helped me through my breakdowns after Leoben." She scooted in closer to him, placing one arm over his chest and placed her head on top of his shoulder. "You're going to be fine… back on the court in no time." She yawned as her hand rubbed his other shoulder and down to his arm until she fell asleep.

Sam hoped so and he would work toward that. He knew that he'd never play professionally again, at least not for a very long time and certainly not while they were on the run like they were, but there was talk of them setting up a court in one of the hangers or converting one of the storage bays into an arena. Adama had mentioned to him that they needed more sporting events to release the tension around when time permitted and that Sam should get as many of the players together as he could. He was lucky in the fact that most of the C-Bucs were with him here on Galactica and only a few had been lost in the time on New Caprica, not that their loss was any easier to take, but he had to keep his mind on those that survived.

Sam saw just how tired Kara was. She had dark shadows under her eyes and her face was drawn. "I love you," he whispered as he settled her against him as she fell asleep within the circle of his arms. He looked down at her face and kicked himself for wallowing in self pity when she needed him more than she knew. He swore then and there that he would do as he was told and work hard to regain his strength. With that thought in his mind, Sam fell asleep and for the first time in days, he slept deeply and dreamlessly.

TBC

* * *

**Please review- ** thanks :) 


	20. Six months and counting

**I had to cut this chapter up to shorten it. I hope you like and enjoy it...**

* * *

Kara stood in front of the calendar in her room, one hand rubbing her neck, the other rubbing her swollen stomach. She couldn't believe that another month had passed by so quickly. _Twenty weeks down, at least eighteen more to go,_ she thought to herself. She had survived what she thought was the worst part of the pregnancy only to find out the worst had not come yet. To brighten Kara's days, Adama allowed her to fly again but only in Raptors that were not being used for combat. She didn't like it at first but it was the only way to get back in the air. 

To make everything better for her, she finally got Anders out of the room, back on his feet, walking and running like he used too, and out of her hair four days ago. She walked over to her closet and pulled out her BDU's to wear in the CIC. She put it on, laced up her shoes and took the long way to the CIC making sure she passed a certain hanger deck that her husband lived, ate, and sometime slept in now. He was like a kid in the toy store when she showed him what she, some of the C-Buc's and military personnel worked on for the past month.

* * *

Sam was at the moment facing off with Barolay. His hand curled around the small ball he held inside the painted wedge on the floor, his legs splayed as he crouched low, his free hand braced on the red line. "Come on Red you gotta do better than that," he taunted his teammate and long time friend. 

"Oh you want me to bring it on Blue Eyes? I was taking it easy on you and your knee, but I can step it up if you think you can handle it," She grinned back and pivoted sweeping her arm to try and take the ball but Sam anticipated the move and blocked her with his body. Jean, not faint at heart slammed into his chest with her back and twisted hitting the ball and knocking it out of his hand.

Anders growled and dove after it, Barolay hot on his heels. He swept it up in one hand and threw it hard at the basket. The ball struck the metal backboard and bounced off toward another team member who handily caught it and threw it back in to score. In the mean time Sam and Jean had crashed to the deck in a tangle of arms and legs, both lying gasping on the floor.

"Oh that was good Anders, you can get the frak off me now before you crush me! Gods you're getting heavy. I think I liked you when you were only skin and bones," she shoved at him.

"Now who's getting soft Red? You never used to say that," he grinned at her and they both started laughing as they lay on the floor.

"Sam? Skin and bones? That must have been before he started cooking a month ago." Kara shoved her finger down her throat making a throw up sound before Sam saw her doing it. "Half of that stuff is pure fat, but at least it beats that crap down in the mess hall." She looked down at Jean and Sam on the floor. She stiffened up her spine and crossed her arms. "Having fun or should I be jealous?" She joked as the two of them got to their feet. "I'm just going to borrow him for a few," she told Jean.

"Don't mind if you do Starbuck," Jean replied and walked over to the other side of the court to talk with Jo-man and Crip-Key.

Kara grabbed hold of Sam's sweaty arm and pulled him over to the side of the court. "Hi," she said after giving him a towel and a bottle of water. Kara broke the silence between them. "You didn't come home last night?"

"I know I'm sorry. It was late and didn't want to wake you up." Sam quickly apologized.

"Save the crap for someone that really cares Anders. I was up all night waiting on you to come home," she let out a heavy sigh. "I'm working CAP with Apollo this afternoon after I run up to the CIC real quick. Rumors mill has it that Athena and Racetrack just came back after finding a planet with supplies that we need. Even food, real food. Apollo and I are setting up an op and we need as many hands as we can get to help down on the planet."

"And you want those hands to be?" He asked.

"Yours, your team and some marines. If you don't mind."

Anders wiped the sweat off his face and neck, slinging the towel over one broad shoulder and braced one hand on the wall behind Kara. "They found that planet with unlimited pickles and mangoes yet?" He joked since that was what Kara was craving for the past week but there were none left in the fleet. He grinned as he pinned Kara up against the wall.

Sam had been itching to get off Galactica and actually do something since he surprised Cottle by regaining movement and strength in his injured leg. The only sign that he had even been hurt was the still pink scar and it took a little longer for the stiffness to be worked out first thing but other than that, Samuel Anders was back to heath, he was even a bit more toned.

"Well I can't say that the hills are comprised the biggest mango trees, but from the reports I've seen, we're in for some treats," she replied, her hand running over Sam's muscular arm. "You know our quarters aren't that far from here, I missed you last night."

He grabbed her about the waist and pulled her against him leaning down to place a passionate kiss to her upturned lips. "I'm sorry babe, we were planning out the first tournament series for next week," he said. Now that he was back and able to play, the Admiral had graciously given permission for them to set up Pyramid teams again since Kara and the others had turned one of the unused hangers into a court.

"Tournament uh? This soon? I bet it was all your idea." Kara knew how much Sam wanted to beat the socks off the other teams they had made since New Caprica and the war. "Just remember that I might need you later this afternoon so don't over do it." She leaned in and kissed him, sending him a signal of what she had in mind, pulled away and headed up the stairs towards the CIC.

* * *

Admiral Adama looked up as the CIC hatch opened and closed. He smiled when he saw Kara slowly make her way to the central table of the CIC. "What do you hear, Starbuck?" 

"Nothing but the rain," she automatically replied.

"Well grab your gun and bring in the cat, I'm sorry to tell you this but you aren't needed in here today. Tigh and I have everything under control so go ahead to the ready room to hear Apollo's Op."

"Boom, boom, boom." Kara made a gun with her hand, nodded and left quickly before she was suckered into anything else. Before walking in the ready room, she went into the locker room to change into her flight suit which was beginning to fit a little too small now. _Suck it in Starbuck,_ she told herself.

* * *

Lee Adama was in one of his usual moods when Kara walked in the pilots ready room to hear what they were going to do with this planet. "I want good low sweeps of the planet and as many pictures as you can get of it. This way we know how long we need to stay here. Starbuck, Athena, and Racetrack will cover this side of the planet. Hot-Dog, Beano and I will sweep the other side of the planet. After the first sweep we will send down personnel to help get the supplies. Dismissed." 

Standing up from her seat in the front row where she always sat. Kara noticed that Lee was staring at her like he did that night before Sam and her got married.

"Starbuck, I…" Lee started to day to Kara but she quickly gathered her things and left the room before he walked up to her. Once out of the room she still had Lee's smile printed on her mind.

* * *

It was several hours later before Sam was able to get back to their quarters. He was soaking sweat, tired but he felt great. They had been engaged in some Marine combat training after Starbuck had left so when he entered their quarters he leaned over to press a kiss to her blonde head before grabbing a piece of bread that she had laid out for their dinner before he disappeared into the bathroom. He showered, shaved, and combed his wet dark hair. He glanced in the mirror thinking a bit absently that he needed to get his hair cut and then he dressed in clean clothes before coming back into the room and sitting down next to Kara at the table. "I'm starved," he announced looking over the small assortment of food that they had. 

"Be my guest," she said as she pushed her half eaten plate of food towards Sam. The number one rule when flying is to never eat or drink too much cause you have no clue how long you will sit in a cockpit. There were no bathroom breaks, and the way Kara was now she always had to go with the baby right on her bladder.

"So how did your briefing go?" He asked.

"It was good. Short, sweet and to the point. Op starts tomorrow morning. I was one of the chosen ones to scope out the planet first." She rolled her eyes as she unzipped her flight suit, pulling her arms out of it and slumped back in her chair.

Sam quickly ate his portion certain to leave enough for Kara knowing that she'd be hungry later. He stood and walked behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently began to massage them.

Her head fell back against his arm as she closed her eyes and sighed in bliss.

"Kara, you're working too hard," he sighed. It was something he said often.

"Don't start that again please. It just makes me upset and then you end up on the floor and me sleeping alone. I took two and a half weeks off of work like you asked me too. Yes I'm working again but I'm not pushing it as hard as I used too. I just had my ass handed by Apollo, I don't need it from you too." She looked up at him as he stood leaning slightly over her. Kara gave him the famous Starbuck glare before looking in front of her again. "Besides the last thing I want to do is fly around in a ship that can't fight back in combat." She reached over to her plate again and finished her half of piece of bread she didn't eat earlier. "Did the Old man talk to you about the planet yet?"

He kissed her head and continued to gently ease the tension out of her neck and shoulders. "Yes, just this afternoon, sounds like quite the operation. He wants me and Lee to work closely on coordinating the civilians and military personnel, even though I'm technically with the marines." He replied thinking that in the month he'd been back on his feet he really hadn't been in that extensive of training yet. "Kara, why is it that I'm still not back with the Marines full time? On this op, I'm acting more like I have in the past."

Shrugging Kara turned around to face Sam. "I don't know. I'm not in the Marines Sam, that's your department," she said poking him in the chest. "I guess the Admiral wants you down on the planet to command the civilians like you did on Caprica and New Caprica. Really I have no clue why you aren't full time." She got up and walked over to the bed. Pulling herself completely out of her flight suit, she laid on top of the bed staring at the ceiling just in her tanks and underwear.

Kara placed one hand under her head and her other hand was gently placed on her protruding belly. "Maybe Cottle doesn't think you are quite ready to be back on full time," she shook her head then looked at Sam. "Or maybe all this Pyramid playing has sent out the wrong message that you don't want to be a Marines anymore and the Old man is teaching you a lesson on your responsibilities," she paused knowing that she might get in trouble for that, then she laughed.

"Hey Cottle was the one that suggested I get back to playing, albeit he did say to take it easy, but it's not a game you can play lightly as you know. Besides, I'm back to almost 100 percent and as soon as I build up my stamina again I'll officially get to tell that old voodoo doctor to frak off." He threw himself down on the bed beside her placing his hand on her stomach as well.

"Nice landing," she scoffed.

"How is Junior doing today?" He asked the mound. "Hope you're not giving your mother too much grief as I intend to take her to task for working way too many long hours and much too hard," he looked up at her when she tensed. "Sweetheart, you know that I'm just concerned about you and the baby right? You're much too thin for being over six months pregnant."

Just then the baby decided to add to the conversation and gave a mighty kick against Sam's hand. It was the first one he had been able to feel that strongly. "Wow!" He said in amazement as he stared at the independently moving bulge

"You're telling me!" Kara glared at Sam. "Stop it you're going to make _her_ mad and then I won't sleep. Then if I don't sleep, you don't sleep and all three of us are mad at each other." She still thought it was funny how Sam thinks the baby is going to be a boy and she thinks its going to be a girl. Kara didn't want to know the sex of the baby just yet. Maybe by the next check up with Cottle, but ultrasounds were showing good signs of a healthy baby.

"Well you should be happy to know that once we are done with the planet, its going to be my last time in a Raptor. I'm being grounded on Galactica until two months after _she_ is born."

"He," Sam said still having his hand on her stomach with his eyes glued to the mound holding his child.

"Olives..." she spat out as she ran fingers through his hair.

"What? I thought you were off the olive cravings and on to mangoes." Kara had always hated anytype of vegetable until she had become pregnant. Then a week ago she had been back to never wanting to see them again.

"I'm back on them. I want some olives Sam."

He chuckled at her and bent to kiss her lips. "Alright my lovely and pregnant Starbuck, I shall scour the ship in search of olives. Luckily I have a friend in supply that owes me a few favors and has a crush on you."

"Who?" Kara asked.

"I'm not telling," he grinned as he began to tickle her sides.

"Okay, okay. Fine I give up," she laughed. "Please… stop…SAM!!!"

A knock on their hatch interrupted the playful conversation. Sam frowned, kissed Kara once more before heaving his long frame off the bed and going to see who was there.

An officer handed Sam a note addressed to Starbuck. He thanked the man and brought it over to her, the frown deepening. "They can't possibly need you now," he said as Kara sat up on the bed.

"I don't know." She pulled out a piece of paper from the package and unfolded it. She was curious on who would be sending her a package like is. "My its my other lover," she joked before looking down at the piece of paper.

_I'm trying to help you Kara. I only want you to see the truth of your life. The reason why you suffered and you struggled for so long. That's why God sent me to you, that's why Gods wants us to be together. __I'm willing to wait. You just need more time. I'm a patient man. I'll see you and your child soon, Kara Thrace._

Quickly Kara dropped the paper to the floor as her knees gave out on her.

* * *

**Like always please review.  
** Submit Review Report Possible Abuse Add Story to Favorites Add Story to Story Alert Add Author to Favorites Add Author to Author Alert Add Story to C2 Archive 


	21. Starchild

_"I don't know." She pulled out a piece of paper from the package and unfolded it. She was curious on who would be sending her a package like is. "Maybe it's my other lover," she joked before looking down at the piece of paper._

_I'm trying to help you Kara. I only want you to see the truth of your life. The reason why you suffered and you struggled for so long. That's why God sent me to you, that's why Gods wants us to be together. I'm willing to wait. You just need more time. I'm a patient man. I'll see you and your child soon, Kara Thrace._

_Quickly Kara dropped the paper to the floor as her knees gave out on her._

* * *

Sam became alarmed as her face drained of color and her knees buckled. Luckily she sat heavily on the bed. "You okay?" He asked since she almost didn't make it completely onto the bed. 

Looking at the ground, Kara began to feel the attack coming on. She had never told anyone that her brief months on New Caprica had caused her to have panic attacks. _How could someone who claimed to be so strong lose control so fast?_ "He's back. He's here."

"Kara?"

"I'm fine. Go ahead, I'll be right there." She said not looking at him but continued to stare at the piece of paper on the floor.

"No, stay right there Kara, I'll be right back." Sam snatched up the letter and ran to the hatch calling after the officer that delivered it.

"Who gave this to you?" Anders demanded presenting the thing before the officer. He was young and obviously terrified that Sam questioned him.

"I don't know Sir, I guess it was one of the civilians. He said to give it to Captain Thrace. I guess he knew her before she got married to you, Sir."

Sam swore viciously and then dismissed the young man who took off fast. Sam slammed the hatch closed and grabbed his pants and a shirt, he'd been only in his boxers as he was getting ready for bed with Kara.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Get dressed babe, we're going to see Adama," he replied with a martial gleam in his blue eyes.

"What the frak is Adama going to do?" Kara said as she regained herself from her small panic attack and got up from the bed. "Seriously Sam it would take weeks to search through the fleet to find Leoben _if_ he is still here. Hell it took us eight hours to just search through 1/8 of the fleet for his stupid frakking nuke that wasn't real."

Walking over to their closet, Kara grabbed her pants and a jacket and put them on. She was the first one out of the hatch and down the corridor to head to CIC until Sam caught up. "This is just going to be a waste of my time Sam but whatever makes you sleep better I will do it," she said as she crossed her arms around her chest waist as they approached the hatch of the CIC.

He pulled her on her arm to stop Kara and brought her over to the side before walking in. "The reason I want to talk to the Old Man is so that he's aware that that freak was on board this ship if he isn't still! Lords Kara that skinjob is frakking obsessed with you and I'm not going to stand by and let this go unreported or brush it off as a hoax! He's proven too dangerous in the past and I'm not willing to take that kind of risk with your life! Do you know what I went through those four months you were being held prisoner?"

Kara was about to open in mouth but closed it quickly, and stood there silent.

"I know it was no picnic for you either, but at least you were being well cared for physically while I had no idea if you were being tortured in the same way Tigh was for instance or if you were even alive! So go ahead and call me too protective and paranoid if you like but I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you and my child safe!"

"Okay," she pulled him in front of her, "you are too protective and paranoid but I get Sam. I understand, really I do. But I'm not one of those girls that goes down without a fight. You misinterpreted what I was saying. I was going to tell Adama about the note, but there really isn't anything he can do about but bump up the security on this ship."

Kara pulled on the hatch door of the CIC and walked in with Sam on her heels. The CIC was once again busy as normal but with the Recon missions to the planet and getting our people down on the planet it was a mad house.

"Ah just the two people I wanted to talk to. What do you hear, Starbuck?" Adama asks, walking towards her.

"Nothing but the rain, Sir," she replies automatically. "And the pitter patter of little feet," she adds as she rubs her swollen stomach.

"Good. Apollo needs you suited up and in a Raptor at 0700 hours tomorrow and..."

Kara interrupted him. "That's not..."

Adama put his hand to shut her up. "Captain no funny business in that Raptor or I'll pull you out." He said pointing his index finger at her, and then turned to look at Sam. "Lieutenant Anders I need some of your former teammates down on the planet to help with the military personnel."

"Yes, of course sir," he replied automatically, "Sir, there is something that we need to talk to you about," Sam said. He respected Adama very much and was just the littlest bit intimidated by him whenever he spoke to him.

The Admiral glanced from one face to the other noting Sam's controlled features, the working of his jaw as he strove to hold in his impatience and the look on Kara's pale face, she had a light complexion anyway but she looked even more so at the moment. "What is it?" He asked.

Anders handed him the note that arrived in their quarters and explained the situation.

"You can't be serious?"

Anders nodded. "Sir, I want Starbuck protected and I can do that to a great extent but if a skinjob can get some rookie officer to deliver a note directly to us, and then we've some serious security issues that need to be addressed."

"Mr. Gaeta." Adama called out over to him on the other side of the CIC. "Please inform all Marines and the LSO to be on the watch for Leoben or any other Cylons that might have come aboard. Apparently our lack of security built the Cylons a backbone."

"I'll get right on, Sir," Gaeta walked over to his station on got right on the phone.

Adama turned around to Kara and Anders. "Just be careful out there and Anders keep an eye on this one. I will sign Apollo to watch her in air and on the ground. But Starbuck you are not allowed to go anywhere alone until we get this all straighten out."

"Yes Sir." Kara sighed, saluted and then grabbed Anders' hand to pull him out of the CIC.

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed as his wife dragged him out of the CIC, "What gives?" He asked once the hatch closed behind them. "I was going to say something back there!"

Kara didn't answer and she kept on walking.

* * *

Once in their quarters, Kara ripped out her jacket and pants as she walked over to their closet. The next thing to be removed for her body was her bra as it fell on the floor. Standing in just her underwear, she looked over her shoulder to glare at Sam. "What gives?" She grabbed one of Sam's shirts and slipped it on. "Are you frakkin' serious?!" She rolled her eyes as she walked over to their bed, shoving Sam out of her way to get there. 

Sam's blue eyes narrowed at both her tone and her mood. "Yes I'm frakkin' serious!"

"My gods Sam, I have a mission that starts..." she looked over at the clock on the wall."... in seven hours. I'm almost six months pregnant. I'm all hormonal and cranky. _Your_ child not mine, wants to be just like you!_ It_ hasn't stop moving since _you_ woke _it_ up." Kara only called the baby an _it_ if she was extremely mad with him or her. "Do you know what it feels like to have something play a game of Pyramid inside of you? And now you decide to grow a frakkin' backbone and ask me what gives?" She could feel it coming, her eyes were watering up on her. _Kara this is not the time to breakdown. You're stronger than the hormones,_ she thought to herself.

Sam snapped, stripping off his own clothes as he watched his angry wife throw her clothes hither and yon. "Look, would you have rather ignored this whole thing and risked getting taken _again_? Lords Kara how many times are you going to risk yourself and now our child? You don't have to prove to me how brave you are, I see it every frakkin' day but there is a point where you just have to let me do it for you! And as for Lee being the one that watches out for you during this mission, well I have news for all of you. _I'm _going to be the one watching your back sweetheart so just get used to it!" He didn't consciously realize it, but he was a little jealous of the time Kara spent with Lee.

"My gods, men are so painfully stupid sometimes!" Letting out a heavy sigh Kara walked up behind her I'm-still-upset-at-with-my-wife husband and pulled him into her. "I'm not used to thinking of anyone else but me. I don't know why it hasn't clicked that I not only taking care of myself, but I'm taking care of two very important people to you." She said as she planted a kiss on his bare shoulder blade. "Do you ever think I'll get used to this mom thing? One moment, I feel like I can do this and then I feel like I am a catastrophe waiting to happen." Every passing day was a mission to find a way to hug Sam with her protruding stomach always getting in the way. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Sam sighed, turned around to face her and put his arms about her. "Its okay babe, I know it has to be difficult for you, for any woman to have a tiny ball rolling around inside of you. You know," he took a breath to get past the pain of remembering his family," my sister said much the same thing to my brother-in-law when she was pregnant with her kids so you're not alone. It's my fault, don't say your sorry. I was the one that started this fight."

Kara let out a soft moan as once again their baby decided to join with one giant kick to Kara's kidneys. "Ow… see even Lexie says she's sorry."

Then he tipped her face up to his. "Lexie?"

"Short for Alexandra. I want to name her after my grandmother on my dad's side."

"But what if it's a boy?" He teased her letting his annoyance with her melt away as he gazed into her hazel eyes. He put on hand on her gently rounded belly as he leaned over to capture her lips in a searing kiss that left them both rather breathless.

Re-catching her breath Kara still couldn't believe that the man in front of her, the love of her life, still knew exactly how to take her breath away after she had yelled at him. She opened her eyes and stared into his sapphire blues one, hoping that their child would some how get those same blue eyes.

"I thought you still wanted to call him Samuel T. Anders Jr. or did that pen to you head a couple of days ago change your mind? But I like Thomas much better over all our boy names. Good choice on him taking your middle name. I was thinking about changing her name though to Eris. It would suit her just find right now." The baby was wide awake now and kicking like crazy. "Don't you think? Our little Goddess of Chaos and Terror. But forget we still over three months to pick one." She paused and looked up at him. "What was with that kiss earlier?" She asked as she pushed him toward the bed having an ear-to-ear grin on her face.

"What? So now you're questioning my kisses? I think I'm insulted." Sam said as he threw her a grin that answered hers. She was slowly stalking him backwards toward the bed.

"Insulted? Sammy are you feeling well? Babe I just gave you a compliment." Kara said as she pushed Sam down on the bed.

"What are you planning Starbuck?" He asked loving the sexy look on her face.

Kara put her knee on the bed and then crawled up to him and over him until she straddling his legs. "Oh do I have a plan for my incredible sexy husband but it might have to wait until we get back from this mission of…" She paused and half smiled half frowned down at Sam. "You just had to wake _the kid_ up didn't you?" She asked as she grabbed Sam's hand and placed it on her stomach. "I think it's your voice that wakes her or him up."

With a smile on his face, Sam sat up and kissed Kara's stomach. "Well then I have to say that our child is very intelligent don't you? If he knows his father's voice at this stage," he grinned at her and put up his arms to ward off her mock blows. Then wrapped his arms about her and rolled her onto her back, his legs straddling her hips this time. He leaned over and captured her lips with his, kissing her deeply allowing her no room for movement. He kept kissing her until he heard her groan deep in her throat. "And what has our child to say about that my love?" He asked his hands sliding to her side taking hold of her hands and pinning them above her head with one hand while his free hand tracing her flesh lightly causing her to squirm. "Ah, hold still sweet Kara," he whispered as his lips found the puckered nub of her larger and more sensitive breasts.

"Ordering me around now?" Kara said as she looked down at Sam as his mouth made contact with one of her breasts. She grinned but when his hand lightly squeezed the other breast, she bit back a cry and tried to push him away with her legs. "Get off, get off!"

"What? What's wrong?" Sam asked as he looked at her; scared he had gone too far with her. He let go of her and sat straight up, still sitting on top of her hips.

"See, that's what I'm talking about. I can't even get felt up without feeling as if I've had a mammogram." Kara yelled back at him. She could tell that she had scared him just a little. "I'm fine. It's just a little tender that's all and…" she propped herself up on her elbows, "…I'm tired. We have a big day tomorrow and no one likes a cranky pilot."

"I'm sorry," he said a little shocked at her reaction. He didn't have a lot of experience with pregnant women but then again he didn't think he'd been applying enough pressure to really hurt her either. "Sorry," he murmured again sighing and rolling onto his back as he stared up at the ceiling of their room. "I just thought that you might need a little attention is all.

"Sam, it's not that I don't want you, you just have to be more gentle," she said taking the sting of her remark away with a kiss to his bared shoulder and how she snuggled against his side.

He put his arm about her shoulders and dropped a kiss to the top of her blonde head. "I guess we're both learning all about this pregnancy thing."

"I think we are learning pretty fast. It's going to be a trial and error baby. I think if we can somehow keep the kid out of therapy and a nut house, we've done our job. Don't you think?" Kara asked before she let out a yawn. There was a few moment of dead silence before Kara broke it. Kara turned over to her side facing away from Sam. "We'll just do better the next time around." Kara said quietly before falling asleep.

Sam's mind kept on repeating Kara's last sentence over and over again. _Was she serious about a next time? She wants to have another one? _

TBC..._  
_

* * *

**Please reviews. I love it when I receive them...**


	22. Sirena and the planet

**Since Eye of Jupiter and Rapture were one of my favorite episodes from season three the next few chapters will be like them but with a few twists, but some of it is quoted from them. I just loved the Sam and Lee interaction and fights. Hope you enjoy...**

* * *

Production on getting the food supplies up to the fleet was taking longer than they thought. This planet was arid, hot, desolate, and harsh, but to Sam, it also had sort of a wild untamed harsh beauty about it. It wasn't desert flat like back on Geminon, there were small mountains and hills, nothing really high like they enjoyed on Caprica, bit the little bit of elevation did offer a tiny bit of relief to the heat. Then there was the river that was near by.

Kara and the others knew the truth for the delay. The site they were working at was a short distance from a huge river they called Sirena. Some swore they saw Sirens in the river so they named it after one of them. Kara thought it was the heat from the planet screwing with their minds since they had been on the planet for nineteen days now in hundred degree weather. The only way to cool down was to take a swim in the river. In addition of offering much needed water for them and the fleet, it was cool, pure and crystal clear. Some of the scientists discovered that there was a giant underground mineral spring that fed the river and the closer you got to the spring, the cooler the water.

Needless to say, they had taken to swimming at every opportunity they had. During their lunch breaks and if Kara was still on the planet, Sam would sneak her down to it. They would play for a short while until Kara grew more tired than before since she was now about twenty three weeks pregnant. After that she would sit about waist deep and relax as the water cooled her off and Sam would be in the deeper area diving and bringing her back things from the bottom of the river. One time he found a rock that was shape like a heart and brought it to her as a peace offering, since they were fighting more than usual. And just that small little rock put her in a better mood. Kara seemed to just enjoy herself in the shallow area, lately she had been running a higher temperature than normal. Cottle told them that this was normal for pregnant women, so if and when they got caught down in the river they used it as an excuse.

But where was the problem of everyone was getting on everyone else's last nerves. Mostly it was Sam and Kara, Lee and Dee, Chief and Cally that fought the most on the planet since they were the only ones on the planet that were married. Just yesterday Kara almost decked Sam in the mouth for looking at her strange.

* * *

Samuel Anders returned to their base of operations, which was a metal building that was fast for them to throw up for shelter but offered no relief from the intense heat of the planet. If anything it absorbed and intensified it inside. The windows, little that they were, offered only nominal airflow when there was any hint of a breeze to begin with. 

While Kara Anders started up her Raptor on Galactica about to make her seventh trip down onto the planet. Cottle made her come up for checkups and Adama made her come up to re-supply the crew down on the planet with food and water. There were four pilots on this mission, two at a time. Lee was her partner and he had already gone down to the planet with his supplies two hours earlier. Racetrack and Hot-Dog were on their way back up with his Raptor.

Anders exited the building, dirt and dust clinging to his sweat slicked body, his handsome face streaked with sweat and dirt. He frowned when he turned to watch Kara landing her Raptor. She'd buzzed them _again_ to the general annoyance of just about everyone on the ground. She'd just pissed off just about every person the ground and made them eat even more dust and dirt than before. His frown deepened as he saw Lee rushing over to the ship the second it landed. 

Kara once again came in too hot and she knew it too. She just wanted to get here, do her shift and get back up on Galactica and into her freezing cold room. Shutting off her Raptor she opened the hatch to find him hopping in as she walked to back to him.

"You brought her in a little hot don't you think?" Lee asked placing his hands on the wall of the Raptor, looking over his shoulder to her.

"Yeah well had I known I was being graded, I would have thrown in a couple of barrel rolls." Kara replied back striping herself out of her flight suit. She hadn't been on the planet for more than two minutes and she was already sweating. "Remind me to thank the CAG for sticking me on these crap donut runs, huh?" She smiled but it quickly vanished. "And he owes me too. Cottle doesn't like the fact that you and your father are making me do this. There has to be another pilot out there that can do this. Even Sam is…"

Lee leaned in close to Kara, a little too close for her. And before she knew it he was helping her get out of the rest of her flight suit while his lips were on top of hers. "Gods Kara I miss you."

* * *

Sam's hand absently wiped at a trickle of sweat that rolled down the side of his lean face, his frown intensifying. "Gods…" 

"How many times does that make this week?" Dee sighed coming over to where Anders stood watching her husband almost run toward Starbuck's ship.

"She knows it pisses Apollo off and she just can't seem to help doing that apparently," he replied his blue eyes darkening in anger. "Frak it all," he muttered to himself as his long legged strides carried him over to the landing site.

"We're good for later this evening right?" Sam asked Chief before heading off to Kara's Raptor.

* * *

"Get off of me you bastard," Kara yelled. Lee didn't stop, he started kissing her harder and more passionately. "What the hell is your problem Apollo?" She asked as she pulled her face away from him. 

"Starbuck you're my problem. I can't get you out of my head." Lee said before kissing her again.

Kara still kept on hitting him but he never did let up, so she give up which was not like her at all but she had no energy left to fight.

Sam arrived just in time to see Apollo bend over Kara and kiss her. "Just what the hell are you thinking _Major_?" Sam ground out between clenched teeth.

Kara's skin froze and her heart stop when she and Lee both heard Anders' voice just outside the Raptor. Lee let go of Kara and backed away but he wasn't out of Kara's reach. Mentally she didn't thinking about it but her fist came in contact with Lee's cheek as she punched him. She was going to slap him across the face but punching him seemed more fitted in this situation.

It took all of Sam's precious little self-control not to plant his own fist into the shocked face of Lee Adama, only the fact that Dee was back at the building only able to see part of what was going on kept him from let his fist fly. Instead he turned sharply on his heel and strode back, causing Starbuck to have to run to keep up with his long strides.

Kara walked out of the Raptor yelling at Sam about what he just walked into back there while he was half way back to the base. "Sam, it wasn't what you think. Lee… I…" Sam was still storming off towards the base and didn't even turn around to look at her. "Gods damnit Sam let me explain!" She shouted out to him.

He heard her trying to explain, but he wasn't in any frame of mind to accept anything other than what his own two eyes saw. He wasn't blaming her either, not totally anyway. She constantly provoked Lee into some action or another, but Sam thought that a man of his upbringing and station would be able to disregard such blatant needling and then there was the fact that they had known each other for much longer than Sam had. That thought in and of itself caused him fits of jealousy.

"Sam! Will you listen to me!?" She shouted at him just as he reached the door.

He spun around to face her causing her to stop suddenly and put up her hands to keep from falling against him. "Not one damn word," he warned her seething in anger.

Kara didn't care how mad Sam was, she had to tell him what just happened. "Sam, it wasn't what you think. I…"

Shaking his head and crossing his arms. "Let me guess you were just talking to Lee? No… no wait, that's wrong. Because how can you talk with him with your tongue shoved down his throat?" Sam asked as his voice rose.

Kara raised her voice as well. "I _did not _have my tongue shoved down his throat _Anders_." That was it. Kara was really pissed at him. "It wasn't what you think? He caught me off…"

Sam glared at her as he cut her off again. "Were you or weren't you kissing him? Don't insult me Kara, I'm not stupid."

Kara didn't know what else to say. "I know that you're not stupid…" Kara flinched when the door slammed after Sam walked in.

_Well what the frak did you expect Anders?_ He asked himself. _You knew that those two had history even before you met her._

He'd seen it from the moment he'd met Apollo. There was a look in his eye as the two men's eyes met across the room aboard Galactica. Kara had been sitting on his lap facing him when Lee Adama entered. Sam was half drunk both on the Ambrosia Kara was feeding him and her kisses. He couldn't really remember clearly but when he and Lee shook hands that first time, he saw in his eyes something like jealousy. Anders had dismissed it and was caught up in the euphoria of being rescued and off the Cylon occupied Caprica at last. He'd been able to finally relax and stop being the leader of the resistance and just concentrate on being himself and being in love with Kara.

Sam tried hard over the last year and a half to dismiss the pangs of jealousy that seeing her with Lee caused him, and especially after Lee married Dee, but if anything he noticed more and more that Lee was dogging Kara's heels.He was pulled out of his thoughts when Kara jerked open the door.

"Anders you will listen to me," she said in a tone he knew didn't bode well for him.

"No, right now I'm going to do my job and try to get the rest of the food up to Galactica. I can't do this with you right now because if you start talking I'm liable to say something we're both going to regret."

"You know what?" Kara cringed as the baby gave another hard kick to her kidney. As if it knew that fighting wasn't the solution to end this. She placed a hand on her stomach before opening her mouth again. "I'm done trying to make you understand. It's like pulling teeth with you." Kara reached back to reach the door handle but it flew open before she could pull down on it.

Cally rushed in, out of breath. "Starbuck, Apollo needs to talk to you. Galactica has been trying to contact both of you for some time now. Something is happening."

* * *

Kara followed Cally back out to the Raptor. Once they got there, Lee helped Kara get back into it and Cally left. "I'm just here to do my job then I'm not talking to you. What's going on now?" She asked as Lee led her over to the wireless. 

"Four Cylon basestars just jumped in orbit, their demanding to speak to the Admiral and the President." Lee said to catch Kara up on their situation. "They want the Eye of Jupiter."

"The Eye of what?" She asked.

Lee didn't answer her, he turned back to talk with the Admiral and Roslin over the wireless. "Well it would help if I knew what I was looking for. Does it really look like an eye?

"I don't know, Lee. I've looked at the scriptures and they make reference to the eye being left in some sort of temple, but there's no physical description." Laura Roslin said sounding frustrated with herself for not paying closer attention to the scriptures.

Kara tuned them out of her head and she tired to find someway to make Sam understand what he walked into earlier. She was pulled back into reality when an awful buzzing sound came over the wireless.

"Kara what's going on?" Lee demand.

Kara was busy trying to figure out the same thing. "The Cylons are jamming the wireless…" she sighed, "…every frequency."

"Okay we need to establish hard communications. Work out a plan to defend this temple while Tyrol searches for it."

Kara snapped back glaring back at Lee. "Defend it with what? A dozen marines, maybe five more military?" She paused and then opened her mouth again. "Can I make a suggestion you won't like?"

Lee smirked and stared down at Kara. "Do you make any other kind?"

"Use Sam to command the civilians," she suggested.

"You're not serious."

"Why not? Lee, he'll do it."

Lee sighed and nodded knowing what was to come. He and Kara rose, exited the Raptor and headed toward the command center. Kara and Lee entered the building after their supposed talk with the Admiral and President Roslin.

"Lee." Sam greeted him his anger held in check just barely and only by the fact that there were others around, namely Dee, and Sam had no wish to throw in her face her husband's actions.

"Hey Sam," Lee said back.

"Sam, we need to talk." Kara said.

"Talk all you want just not about…" Sam was cut off by Kara.

"Can we do this later please?"

"Sam, I need you to command the civilians. Form them into fire-teams, I'll give my deployment orders through the Sergeant." Lee said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. Deployment orders? Fire-teams? Come on, some of these guys have never even held a rifle before." Sam replied blinking in surprise at Lee's orders.

"Well you're supposed to be the expert."

Sam shook his dirt-dusted head and crossed his arms over his chest. "No. We were guerrilla fighters, alright? Hit and run. I've never had to defend a fixed position."

"Well then you're just going to have to learn it fast because that's what we're doing. We're defending this fixed position until the Chief finds his Eye of Jupiter."

He just barely refrained rolling his eyes at the major. "Oh okay so you want us to risk our lives for something you haven't even found yet?" He asked his voice rising in anger and the foolishness of the mission.

"Listen Sam I don't have to tell you every little gods damn detail."

Sam got in Lee's face towering over the shorter man, his face a mask of anger, "You know what you have to explain to me."

Kara stepped in between them and put both her hands on Sam's chest, "Hey, hey, hey! The Major is in charge of this one, okay? Okay?"

Anders glanced down at his wife, into her hazel eyes and felt himself capitulating but he hardened his heart and replied stiffly, "I certainly wouldn't want to step between you and your Major." He gave her one last look his emotions hidden behind a mask of cold fury as he turned and strode out of the building, members of his team following.

* * *

TBC... 

Please review I would love you to...


	23. Fight or Flight

**Once again this chapter is going along with EofJ. Please review...**

* * *

Lee turned to look at Kara and walked to the back of the building. "Well I thought that went really well." 

Kara stood still frozen in her spot. "He'll do it."

"He better. I need you do to give this to Dee. Tell her that she is in charge of the patrols on the ground. You will be flying your Raptor so suit up." Kara didn't acknowledge him as she stared out of the small window of the building. "Kara…" Lee cleared his throat, "… Captain _Anders_ did you hear me?" Lee voiced how much he hated that Anders was her last name. Thrace was so much better though Adama wasn't bad either but he knew now that wasn't going to happen.

Kara snapped out of it and looked over her shoulder. "Yeah I'm in the air after I give this map to Dee. Got it." She walked up to Lee and grabbed the map from Lee's hands. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

Lee looked up at Kara from his holder and bullet vase. "Permission granted Kara."

"See that's it Lee. What the frak are you doing? What was that in the Raptor? Are you trying to ruin my marriage? I'm happily married to Sam I chose him. I want him not you. If I didn't want him yes things would have turned out differently between us. But that will never happen. For frak sake's Lee I'm carrying his child."

Kara flashed back to the night on New Caprica before she married Sam.

"_Give me a tour, of the future life of Kara Anders." Lee asked as him looked around the grassy field on New Caprica that Kara and him were standing in._

"_I'm not getting married." She bluntly told him as she crossed her arms._

"_Well then, uh. What's the point Kara? I mean you love him, right?" Lee asked walking up to her. "Right?"_

"_Where are we going with this, Lee?" Kara asked raising an eyebrow._

"_Well now that's the question, isn't it? Where are we going? And what if this, this is it? The rest of your life, Kara. Is this how you want to spend it? Is this who you want to spend it with?"_

"You said that you weren't going to marry him Kara. We shouted to the heavens how much we loved each other." Lee said as he walked up to the table. "Then I wake up the next morning and the first thing I heard is that you ran over and quickly married Anders."

Kara sighed and moved from leaning on the table to walk up to the door. "I chose the right guy, Lee. He's the one I want to spend the rest of my life. Go back to Dee." Kara pulled on the door and walked out to the other building.

* * *

Sam needed time to cool down. Deep in his heart he knew that Kara loved him. Hell, she wouldn't have allowed herself to get pregnant or stay pregnant if she didn't really truly love him. Her flying meant too much to her to do without it for any length of time unless she was forced. He watched her in the few months of their marriage before she was taken, she'd been happy but he could tell that there was just something missing and he knew that it was being that hotshot pilot she once was. But she loved him so she sacrificed her career to be with him on New Caprica. 

Sam sighed and ran his hands through his dark hair and shook out most of the dust. He'd allowed himself to be lead by jealousy once again. Now that he stopped and thought about what he witnessed, he could see that Kara's arms weren't around Lee, but, his mind also saw that she wasn't exactly struggling either.

He swore to himself and forcefully threw the little rock he'd picked up against the side of the cliff their buildings were up against.

"Sam?"

Anders spun around to see Jean Barolay look at him with deep concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Not really," he admitted to his long time friend and teammate. "Hell Red, I don't know what the frak is going on." Jean grabbed hold of his arm and drew him over to sit down on a large flat rock and urged him to tell her what had happened. He did so almost reluctantly for there were things that he didn't like to talk about with anyone but Kara. That said, Jean had been with him longer than anyone else on the C-Bucs. They had been high school sweethearts but they both knew that anything other than close friendship was not for them. There were more like brother and sister than lovers.

"Oh Sam, you know that Kara loves you," Jean said placing her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture.

"I do know that. But seeing them locked at the lip like that..."

"There has been buzz around that Major Apollo and his wife aren't exactly as happy as one would think."

Anders nodded. "That isn't any reason for him to move in on Starbuck," he bit out getting angry all over again.

"You're right of course. But that should tell you that it's all the Major's doing. Don't jump to conclusions."

Again Sam nodded feeling just terrible how he'd treated Kara. He swore viciously more at himself than anyone.

* * *

Kara walked into the other building finding all the other military personnel, which wasn't much, were already there. Walking up to Dee, she slammed the map on the table before hiding in the back of the group. 

Dee unfolded the note in the map and read it aloud. "Okay, Major Adama wants us to set up forward observation posts hardwired back to base for communications. The Ops are going to be staggered at strategic locations giving us as much warning as possible if there is a Cylon advance. Since we only have one Raptor, Captain Thr- Anders," she corrected herself, "will fly point."

"Oh joy." Kara rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest, resting them on her swollen stomach. _'Sam is not going to like this at all'_, she thought to herself. _'What if something goes wrong?' _She stopped thinking that as she thought that she just jinxed herself and continued to listen to what Dee was trying to pull together not really know what the hell she was saying.

"Wireless is dead so if you do make contact do not engage. Fly to the closest observation post have them relay the information back to command. Be sure to note force strength, direction of march and position." Still leaning over the map, Dee pulled out a pencil and began to write something down.

Feeling like she was back in Fleet training as a Cadet, Kara let out a Starbuck comment. "I have flown recon once or twice, Lieutenant."

Dee smirked as she started marking up the map. "Griggs, you and Varrick are going to set up an observation post here. Penick and Ditco, you go here. Fischer and I are here. We go in an hour."

Everyone left in the building but Kara sat down in the chair nearest to her. She slumped back in the chair, and ran one of her hands over her stomach as the other tried to run through her tangled hair. She played with the baby as _the kid_ kicked at her hand when she woke it up. Feeling him or her move inside her made it seem so real and before she knew it an hour had passed.

"Alright crouton you ready for our last flight together?" Kara asked while rubbing her swollen round stomach. She laughed as the baby gave one giant kick at Kara's hand. "I take that as a yes?"

Pushing herself up and out her chair, Kara walked out of the building and straight to her Raptor. Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. It was Sam and Jean together, arms linked with Jean's red head on Sam's shoulder. Kara knew all about Sam and Jean's past which did not bother her until now. Now she wanted to pull out her sidearm and shoot them both in the head. Instead she swore under her breath and continued to walk to her Raptor more furious than before. "That Son of a bitch is going to get it." She glared one last time at Sam.

Opening the hatch of the Raptor, Kara slipped on her helmet and sat down. She felt naked with out her earpiece in her ear, but wireless was knocked out. She sighed and started up the Raptor, checking her preflight-check list. Within seconds after checking, she was off the ground and back in the air. Which this would probably be the last time she would fly until the baby was three months old.

* * *

Sam stood at the front of the room and told his small group of civilians what they were about to do. "Okay here's the deal. We're outta options. The Cylons have got us pinned on this rock and our only way outta here is to hold this place until Galactica can send a rescue party. So I've divided you into two teams." Sam leaned over a map spread out on a table and pointed out to various places. 

"Okay, team one is going be distributing ammunition throughout the camp. Team two is going to be making homemade Tylium mines." He glanced up meeting the eyes of his people, "I know that's not glamorous work, but we're going to need the extra firepower in case the Cylons decide to take a shot at us."

Sam paused for a moment and rubbed a hand over his face in the vain attempt to keep the sweat from rolling into his eyes.

"Look, I know some of you are scared, and that's okay 'cause I'm scared too. If we keep our heads and we do our jobs we can do this. We can all get out of here in one piece. Now Barolay has a list of your names and your assignments make sure you get with her. See you outside."

He watched as they disbursed and set out to gear up. He had several things going through his mind as he went over to the table that had his gear laid out. Smoothly and methodically Sam began to suit up.

Lee joined him straightening out his own gear. "That was good, honest. You make a good officer. Marines are lucky that they have you."

Anders silently scoffed. "An officer, huh. Like you? Someone who swears an oath, knows how to keep it?" He asked deliberately making sure that Lee knew just what he was talking about. "I have kept my oath after I swore in."

"I'm not really sure what you think is going on."

"Don't insult me, I'm not stupid. I know my wife. I know how she is, how she was. We've been married for a year and a half. She chose me and I chose to marry Kara, and that's my business. But you? I don't know what the hell you think you're trying to do here. For gods sakes Lee, she is carrying _my_ child."

"I know that she is having your child, Sam. We all know!" Lee looked away then looked back at Sam "Look, I'm trying to fight a war. I'm trying to get these people off this rock in one piece," he shot back.

"You sure do make time to search out for my wife day and night. I'm warning you, leave her alone." Sam finished and grabbed up his rifle, his face a cold mask faced Lee, "I'm fed up of this game yours. It's over." Then he turned and left.

* * *

Dee and Sergeant Fischer reached their post in the northern valley. Dee picked up her radio, "Green base fox fire one. Green base fox fire one we are open for business, over." 

In her Raptor, Kara began scouting the area making sure that no Cylons are on the planet and with her luck she spots a heavy Raider with at least five Centurions. The alarms starts buzzing as the Cylons shot surface to air missiles at her Raptor. "Son of a bitch." Kara sent out a message down to Dee at her post. "Tell me you're seeing this."

"She's relaying a message. It's Centurions." Two missiles started tailing Starbuck's Raptor. One of them cliped the right side of her Raptor. "Starbuck's been hit! I say again, Starbuck's going down!"

The alarms of the Raptor are screaming in Kara's ears, the controls caught on fire, which were burning through her flight suit, and Kara had lost total control of the Raptor. Pain exploded in her legs, chest and hands. _Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer, _she thought distantly, her mind clear despite the frightening insanity around her.

Kara never saw the ground coming closer and closer to her and what seemed like a life time she finally hit the ground. A shear pain crossed her chest as the dashboard of the Raptor crashed into her, pinning her to her seat. The last thing she remembered before blackness enveloped her, was the strange sensation that over whelmed her. Like death was finally taking her.

* * *

"Anders!" Came a shout from behind Sam. He turned to see one of his people running toward him. "Major Adama needs you," the man said panting. "He's waiting in the tent." 

Sam, with a sense of foreboding hurried to the compound and the tent. Sam's heart about stopped when Lee said that Kara's Raptor had gone down. "What do you mean she's gone down, gone down where?" He asked heart racing.

"Somewhere in the north valley." Lee replied then turned to one of the men around him. "Okay, get your men on the line full ammo."

"Whoa, what about Kara, we're going to send out a rescue party right?" Sam asked staring in disbelief at Lee.

"Uh, no. We don't have the manpower we have to defend the position."

"Lee, she could be dying out there." Anders said.

"Yeah I know that Sam, I know. We can't help her. We have to hold our positions."

"Are you outta your frakking mind?"

Sergeant Matias said stepping in, "Major's right. We don't have any troops to spare if we're going to hold this position."

Anders looked at the woman as if she and Adama were insane. "Screw this position. Listen we can take those hills, use guerrilla tactics, that's what I've been talking about this whole time!"

"No that is not the mission." Lee yelled back.

"This isn't just some gods damn wind up tin soldier, this is my wife we're talking about!"

Lee faced Sam and jabbed his finger into the taller man's chest. "Yeah I know who she is! And I have known her and cared about her a hell of a lot longer than you!"

"You think you know who the frak you are! I am going after my wife!" Sam yelled losing his patience with Lee.

"I can't let you do that." Lee said almost softly.

"I am not asking you for permission." Sam now glared down at Lee.

"Sergeant Mathias." Lee ordered.

Turning to leave Sam was stopped by the good Sergeant's raised pistol aimed dead center on his chest. "Are you kidding me, are you going to shoot me now?"

"I can't let you go, I need you on the line, I need you commanding those civilians. I'm sorry Sam, but you cannot go."

"I'm sorry too, Major. But you can't stop me." Sam said intent.

* * *

Kara didn't know how long she was knocked out cold or even where she was. She was passing the north valley when her Raptor was hit but she could have landed somewhere else with all the wind blowing around her. She tried to move but every time she did a sheer pain flashed across her chest making her gasp for more air. Some how the fire that engulfed her and her Raptor was put out by the wind and she was glad for that. "This is all Lee's fault. He should have been flying not me! I'm going to kill him." 

At first she didn't even noticed that the Raptor landed on its side, that her helmet was cracked and how lucky she was that she was alive. She did notice that she was bleeding but didn't know where it was coming from. There were blood stains on the broken windshield of the Raptor and the piece of metal that held her in place. She tried again minutes later to move the dashboard off of her chest but failed. She even tried moving her legs but it was like her lower half wasn't responding to her will to move. Frustrated with herself she was exhausted by the time she quit trying to free herself from the crashed Raptor.

She froze when she saw what was in front of her. Gods she might as well been stuck in a nightmare that was never ending. He came up to the Raptor, gun drawn, wearing a black shirt and a cargo pants. She had made herself so tired that she didn't even put of a fight when he pulled the rest of the broken windshield out of his way to get to her.

"Hello Kara," he softly said.

**TBC**

* * *

**Please review..**


	24. Close Yet Far Away

**Sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. I was on vacation for a couple weeks and then I had my surgery and today is my first day home since my surgery. So lets get back to the story...**

* * *

"Kara?" Leoben asked but she didn't answer. "Are you alright? I told the Centurion not to fire at you but they are programmed to shoot down any Raptor on this planet." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly while smiling. "It's good to see you again. Let's get you out of here and back home where you belong…" He smiled "…with me."

"Don't…" was all that Kara was able to yell as she tried to move as far away as she could from him.

"Let me help you before you do anymore damage to you and our baby." Leoben grabbed the edge of the dashboard that was pinning her in place.

It's not yours Leo..." Kara's gasped and bit her bottom lips hard as a wave of pain shot through her body.

* * *

Anders shook his head with a laugh of pure disbelief, "I can't believe you'd try to shoot me Major. What the hell good would I be shot and bleeding or even dead? You'll have to kill me Adama for that will be the only way you'll stop me from going out there and finding my wife!"

Sam stared down the man in front of him before turning on his heel to come point blank with the handgun of the good Sergeant. "Go ahead and shoot, but if you do, I can promise you that my people will leave you to be slaughtered by the Cylons!" Sam then knocked her hand away and strode out of the building almost waiting to feel the bite of a bullet between his shoulder blades.

* * *

Kara had forgotten all about the baby. She prayed that somehow she and the baby would make it out together, both alive. Simon came into Kara's view out of the Raptor and helped Leoben pulled the dashboard off of her chest and moved it out of her way. She gasped as her chest filled back up fully again. Letting out deep heavy coughs and there it was again. She'd felt it shortly after waking from the crash – a tightening of the skin and muscles in her abdomen. _Not now Lords of Kobol; please not now.__This is not the time nor the place for this. _

Leoben and Simon pulled Kara out of the Raptor and to her feet. Leoben took off her broken helmet and threw it back on the chair of her ship. He didn't miss the flinching look that quickly passed over her features nor did Simon. "Kara, are you okay?" They both said in unison. Simon grabbed her sidearm and took it away from her.

She nodded in shocked that they cared about her, but didn't speak to them. She was concentrating harder on telling her body not to do what it was obviously trying to start doing. "It's too early for this," she let out of her lips as Leoben lead her away from her Raptor. She grabbed her stomach as she walked as the waves of pain kept coming.

* * *

In the end Lee had no choice but to let Sam go, he knew that one word from Anders and the civilian contingent of their workforce would drop everything and follow him. As it was he took one other with him making sure to leave Jean Barolay, his 2IC, in charge until he returned. 

"Any idea where we'll find her, Sam?" John Hamada asked. John was one of the Sam's resistance members on Caprica and New Caprica.

"Dee said that they tracked her to the west near the hills," he said face a mask against the fear that would consume him if he allowed himself to really think about what her crashing could mean. But he wasn't going to allow himself to think about that or anything but finding her. "Keep an eye out, we've toasters crawling all over the place."

"You got it boss," Hamada replied following Sam into the wooded area.

* * *

After an hour of walking, Simon looked at Kara and then back to Leoben. "That cut on her head its pretty deep. Set her down Leoben and let me check her out before she passes out on us again." Simon demanded as he tried to pull Kara out of Leoben's tight grasp on her arm.

"I'm frakking fine! Let go of me, you frakking toasters!" Kara yelled at the two phony machines trying to live their lives as humans. She was telling the truth to them though; all of a sudden there was no pain. But that could be from the Adrenaline flowing through her now. She tried to free herself from their grip on her as Leoben and Simon bickered between each other.

"We will check to see what's going on with her once we are cleared of Kara's crash site." Leoben pointed to the cliffs in the distance. "There might be caves that we can use. We need to get her out of the sun and lie her down."

"No we don't need to walk up there. I have a Raider coming for us. It should be here with in the hour to take us back home." Simon looked up and around the sky before looking down at Kara. "We will be gone by the time they figure out that she was taken instead of burning to death in her Raptor."

"What!?" Kara yelled uncertain what was about to take place.

Simon reached into his pocket and grabbed a detonator. Behind them Kara's Raptor exploded and turned into a huge fireball as they dragged her off to the landing site of the Raider.

* * *

Anders and Hamada were an hour into their search when an explosion, and fairly close, rocked the area. The two men instinctively got to their knees until the ground stopped shaking. Sam glanced first to see that his companion was unhurt and then as if they were thinking the same thing for as one. They hurried toward where the explosion came from. 

They both stopped dead when they finally found the wreckage. Sam's heart seemed to stop beating when he saw what little was left of the Raptor. "Kara?... Kara!" He yelled and began to rush forward but John stopped him.

"Sam, listen to me, if she was in there, there wouldn't be anything left to recover," he said gently as they stared at the inferno the heat so intense that they couldn't get any closer than they were to it. As it was they both were coughing from the massive amount of thick black smoke that filled the air around them.

Hamada pulled the reluctant Anders back, Sam trying to get nearer when something caught his eye. Above them high in the hills he saw movement. Hope flared in his chest as he disengaged the other man's hands and grabbed his binoculars. He focused in on the movement seeing a flash of color against the dull dry colors of the background. Then he caught a glimpse of blond hair. He zoomed in and then he swore viciously.

"What is it?" John asked.

"The good news is that Kara is alive…" Sam pointed out handing the binoculars to the other man "…the bad news is that Leoben and Simon have her."

"I say let's get on the ball, your wife looks a bit hot under the collar."

Quickly, the two men headed off following their targets.

* * *

Leoben set Kara down underneath a tree that didn't look more than a stick with twigs coming off of it. The important thing to him was that it provided enough shade to get Kara out of the sun's heat. After walking another fifteen minutes, Kara looked like death warmed over. She had become even pastier than before and was sweating more than Leoben and Simon put together. "How are you feeling Kara?" Leoben asked before ripping part of his shirt to use as a rag to clean up the cut on her forehead. 

Kara didn't answer him and continued to look back at the smoke in the distance that was coming from what used to be a Colonial Raptor. She didn't even move when Leoben applied too much pressure to her forehead. She just continued to stare.

Simon pulled Leoben away as he saw movement coming from Kara's scorched Raptor. "They found the Raptor but they are too late." Simon pointed up to the sky as a Cylon heavy Raider came into view. Both of them were facing away from Starbuck.

Kara noticed Simon pointing in the sky and saw the Raider was well. She pulled her right leg in closer to her body and reached in her flightsuit's pocket for the knife they had in them. She flipped it open and got to her feet. Quietly she stood behind the two Cylon models that still didn't know that she was there.

Her knife went for the throat on Simon. She slit it and he fell to the ground holding his neck as he bled out. Kara grabbed the blade of the knife and threw it straight at Leoben, hitting him dead center between the eyes. Both bodies were dead by the time the Raider landed in front of Kara. She reached down and pulled out her knife from Leoben's skull and grabbed the gun tucked away in his pants.

* * *

Anders was pushing them he knew and the heat was getting to his companion; if he were honest with himself it was getting to him as well but there was no way he was going to rest before he got Kara back safe and sound. He was glad on one hand that the skinjobs had gotten to her before the ship went up in a fireball, but now that sick obsessed Cylon had her again. There was no frakking way that he was going to hold her prisoner again if he had anything to say about it. 

Plus Sam was furious with her to be flying in the first place. She _should_ have been safely tucked on Galactica preparing as best they could for the arrival of their child. _How dare Lee and the Admiral risk the lives of his wife and child! There were other pilots just as qualified as Kara! Even if there wasn't, she was pregnant for frak's sake! When I get her back to that bucket, I'll make damn sure that she was going to stay there even if I have to tie her to the blasted bed for the duration! _

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his eyes. He took a drink from his canteen and surveyed the area. Sam knew about where the trio was so he had his effort trained there while John took a drink and wiped the sweat from his face. "Looks like they've slowed up a bit," Sam commented concerned as he found a blood trail leading up to the nearest hill. Either Kara was resisting a lot or she was severely injured. He rather thought the latter was the case for he couldn't see her resisting over much, but they were still quite a distance away and couldn't see clearly what was happening.

"I'm good to go boss," Hamada said.

"Let's go then."

* * *

The heavy Raider's hatch opened as Kara stood there on top of the hill next to it. Two Centurions came crawling out of its dark hallow. Before they had a chance to look up at the hill, she brought her gun up in one smooth movement, aimed and fired. Anybody within a two click radius would have heard her gun fire. She dropped her now empty sidearm, pulled back out her knife and walked up to the Raider. 

She found it complete empty inside and let out a deep sigh of relief. It was finally over or so she thought it was. She leaned up against the wall of the Raider and let her back slide down it as she legs gave out on her. She looked up at the control center, pondering on if she should fly herself out of here and back to Galactica, but she couldn't manage the gather the strength for it. Before she knew it; she let her eyes closed, the grip around her knife loosen as it fell to the floor as she leaned back on the wall of the Raider with her hands clutching around her stomach.

* * *

It was close to another forty five minutes before the two men could get to the place where Kara, apparently, had been able to take care of the two Cylons. Sam's heart lightened considerably. "That's my girl," he said in admiration. "Now where did you take off to?" He asked rhetorically. He studied the two corpses dispassionately as well as the surrounding area. It was then that they heard gunfire. The two men hurried in the direction of the sound. They saw a Raider and a couple of Centurions on the ground near by. Sam motioned Hamada to scout around the left side of the area while he took the right. For the moment it was clear so silently the men cautiously approached the Raider. 

"Starbuck," Sam called out softly. The grip he had on his gun tightened as he entered the ship cautiously. He spotted his wife half lying half sitting against the wall, apparently unconscious. "Kara!" He rushed to her, his fingers went to her neck to check her pulse which was strong and steady and then to the mound of her belly praying that his child was alright.

"I'll help you get her out of here," John said as he too knelt at Kara's side.

Anders shook his head. "I think for the moment we're better off in here," he said suddenly tensing. "Look," he pointed at the window. Just up the hill was a group of shiny bulletheads headed their way.

"We stay here, we're going straight to Hades. We possibly can't take on all of those toasters with just two guns." John said with panic in his voice walking up to the window of the Raider.

"Just go for the heads like we did on Caprica." Sam bickered back. "Easy kill."

"On Caprica that was a different story Anders. We were the ones that were doing the ambushing not the other way around." John said as he flung his gun around the cockpit of the heavy Raider. "So we stay and hold this position?"

Sam released Kara's head to gently place it leaning on the wall of the Raider then stood up in front of John. "Yeah we hold this position. What else did you think you and I were going to do, fly the Raider out of here?"

"No…" John paused and looked away from Sam and looked around the Raider towards Kara. "…but we do know someone that can." John pointed with his head down at the limp unconscious body of Kara and then back to Sam. "Wake her up and have her teach us. Come on Sam she's a flight instructor after all."

"Kara is probably suffering from a severe concussion, internal bleeding, broken bones, and more when she crashed her Raptor hours ago. My unborn child that she is carrying could be dead. And you want me to wake her up so we can have school with today's lesson being on flying a Cylon Raider while there are Centurions outside right now?!" Sam yelled back at John.

"Or you can use the Raider's weapons or wait for him to come and find us," Kara's voice interrupted the two bickering men not seeing who they were with the sun blinding her eyes. Her ears were still ringing when her Raptor alarm buzzing in them plus with the latest gun fire so she couldn't hear who they were. Also with her concussion she wasn't thinking straight either. "He'll come, he always comes." Kara said staring at the blank wall of the Raider in front of her. "He has to come."

Sam's head snapped around at the sound of Kara's weak voice and he knelt at her side. "Kara?" He said his hand running over her face gently. "Kara what are you talking about?"

"He'll come, he always comes when things go from bad to worse."

Sam grew more worried as the moments passed. Kara seemed not to fully be here. "Who's coming Kara?"

Still not making eye contact with Sam she whispered. "Anders."

"I'm here babe," he felt her resisting his touch, "Kara, it's me, Sam. I'm here for you sweetheart," he said.

"Anders, we have movement out in the treeline." John reported. "I still say she can tell us how to fly this hunk of junk."

"Just stow it Hamada!" Sam snapped. 'Frakking idiot,' he said to himself wishing he'd been able to bring Jean along. The guy tended to panic at the least little provocation and Sam didn't have time to try and console him.

"Sam?" Kara questioned blinking. Obviously she was having trouble seeing clearly which worried him all the more. He'd blocked the light that was beaming into the cockpit with his upper body as he leaned over her. She blinked again and this time a relieved smile crossed her lips. "About frakking..." She gasped again in pain, "... time Anders."

"What can I say? We took the scenic route," he quipped. "Tell me where you're hurt Starbuck," he gently ordered. "Is the baby alright?"

"How do you think I feel? I fell out of the frakkin' sky of Gods sakes Anders." She yelled back at Sam.

"There's my Starbuck," Sam smiled. "Now really tell me where you're hurt."

"My head and chest are killing me, has been since I woke up the first time…" She paused and rethought about when that was. "…in the Raptor. The dashboard pinned me down and some of it went through my helmet. My legs were hurting but their not anymore. I couldn't move them when I was pinned in my seat. My back and stomach. Frak my whole body hurts."

Sam rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "Kara what about the baby? Is he alright?" He asked concerned and worried for their baby. Kara just glared at him once again calling the baby a boy and Sam know that was the reason for the glare.

Shaking her head, Kara still kept her eye contact with Sam. "I… I don't know. I think so. I haven't given it any thought since Leoben and Simon rescued me from my Raptor."

Sam tensed, "What do you mean rescued? Kara they blew up your Raptor." He looked down at the floor of the Raider. "Tell me have you felt the baby move since the crash?"

"Does a false alarm count? I had a series of contractions back near the Raptor but they stop," she paused, "yes I have felt a lot of kicking and punching right before I killed Leoben." She paused again as she remembers John and Sam talking about Centurions outside. "Sam we have to get out of here, it's not safe. Weapons are on the right side of the…" The Raider swims dangerously and the blackness around her returns once again.

"Kara?!"

* * *

TBC 


End file.
